Labour Act amendment almost complete

He said harmonisation of the Labour Act was the only major outstanding issue.

“We are now at an advanced stage of finalising the Labour Act amendment. As tripartite partners, we have agreed on almost everything. The outstanding matter is on the harmonisation of the Labour Act,” he said.

The Government, Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions are the tripartite partners to the Labour Act amendment negotiations.

“As partners we have agreed on almost every matter the partners have raised. However, the outstanding issue has been raised by the nurses and doctors council, which is a grouping under the Apex Council.

“The grouping is opposed to the setting up of an all-inclusive Labour Act that will cover employees from the public and private sectors.

“The Apex Council, which also represents other civil servants’ representative bodies, has agreed to the harmonisation of the labour law. The nurses and doctors grouping has not been coming to Apex Council meetings and has maintained that they do not want the harmonisation of the labour law and they are advocating to be governed by the Health Services Act.”

Mr Moyo said they were waiting for the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Mrs Paurina Mpariwa to table the matter before a Council of Ministers meeting soon.

Efforts to get a comment from Minister Mpariwa were not successful.

Zimbabwe has different pieces of legislation covering welfare of workers with civil servants falling under the Public Service Act.

According to the ZCTU, this was dividing the workers in the country.

The ILO Committee of Experts on the application of Recommendations and Conventions and the International Labour Conference Committee on the application of Labour Standards have urged Zimbabwe to ensure that its legislation complied fully with the principles of the world labour body’s conventions. — New Ziana.