adminMidlands Correspondent
Government will soon promulgate a law that allows men to apply for paternal leave and assist their spouses to look after their newly born babies, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Engineer Tapiwanashe Matangaidze said this week.
Responding to a question during a Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) business breakfast meeting in Gweru on Thursday, Eng Matangaidze said his ministry would soon promulgate a law that would make men eligible to apply for paternal leave.
Eng Matangaidze said other countries had already promulgated similar laws.
“On paternity leave, it has been adopted that husbands can apply for paternity leave though it is by preference, especially where their spouses are deceased or incapacitated to single-handedly take care of the baby,” he said.
“That will be promulgated into law and I am confident that very soon it will be available. I might not be in a position to give you the timeframe considering the processes involved in coming up with a law. You would appreciate that it has to first come as principles and go through Cabinet then to Parliament,” he said.
Eng Matangaidze said Government would speed up amendment of the Labour Amendment Act No. 5 of 2015 to remove the inconsistencies brought about by the Act.
He said the ministry was going to take it up as a matter of urgency and ensure the Act was amended before amending the entire Labour Act.
Eng Matangaidze said this would ensure that the Labour Amendment Act played its role in the ease of doing business.
He said the ministry was also in the process of crafting a bill to make the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) arrangement and agreements legally binding rather than voluntary.
“We believe that for as long as it remains a voluntary arrangement where decisions are not binding, it can’t take us forward. Soon we will have a Bill coming through Parliament after going to Cabinet to legalise the Tripartite Negotiating Forum arrangement,” he said.
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