Chronicle Editor
Yoliswa Dube-Moyo, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
THE Labour Amendment Bill is set to address challenges in the mining sector, chief among them the mishandling of labour disputes.
The Bill, which was gazetted on November 19 last year, will amend the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01).
The amendments are being made to align the Labour Act with Section 65 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions ratified by Zimbabwe.
In order to align with section 65 of the Constitution, this Bill will expound on the rights to fair and safe labour practices and standards.
The review also seeks to promote ease of doing business principles through streamlining and promoting timely conclusion of processes, particularly the labour dispute settlement and retrenchment processes.
The Bill also takes care of emerging issues in the world of work such as labour broking, violence and harassment at the work place and emerging forms of employment relationships with a view to closing the gap in the existing legislation thus entrenching fair labour standards expected in Section 65 of the Constitution.
Speaking during Worker’s Day commemorations held under the theme, “Organise to protect worker’s rights in the mining industry,” Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) General Secretary Mr Justice Chinhema said mine workers are a vital cog to the country’s economy.
“Government and employers in the sector need to lend an ear to the concerns of the mine workers. Some mine workers are subjected to poor working conditions which compromises their safety and health. We need the new labour law as a sector as it will bring change in the way disputes are resolved.
We noted the various changes in the new labour bill particularly addressing the timeframes in which a labour dispute should take. It also seeks to bring back arbitrators who remain key in labour disputes.”
He said pending cases before the Labour Court should be resolved in the second quarter of the year.
“We hope that all new cases brought in 2022 will fall into the new system brought by the Labour Amendment Bill.
While we wait for the new Labour Amendment Bill to become law, we want to be part of the NEC Collective Bargaining where we will immediately push for the amendment of all the various statutes currently being used by the NEC because they are all outdated,” said Mr Chinhema.
The union, he said, is advocating for the implementation of the International Labour Organisation Safety and Health in Mines Convention.
“We need to continue pushing for the criminalisation of deliberate cause of accidents particularly where it is proven that the employer has failed to comply with the safety rules and regulations. Officials who certify unsafe working areas and allow companies to start operations without following the required safety regulations also need to be brought to book.
We’re also cognisant of the challenges being faced by female mine workers in the country and as a union, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to protect the rights of female mine workers,” said Mr Chinhema.
Gwanda District sits on the Greenstone gold belt which hosts notable gold producers including Blanket, Vumbachikwe, Jersey, Freda and Horn mines. — @Yolisswa
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