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Business Reporter
THE Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and key labour stakeholders recently made a study tour to Kenya to strengthen the national labour migration governance framework.
The tour, which ran from July 9 to 15, seeks to promote safe and regular migration in accordance with global and regional migration governance frameworks.
The Zimbabwean delegation was led by director of human resources and administration in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Dr Nyasha Bore.
Among the stakeholders that participated in the tour were the Ministry of International Trade and Foreign Affairs, the Private Employment Agency Association of Zimbabwe (PEAAZ), Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU), Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) and the International Organisation for Migration.
Mutare businessman, Mr Caleb Kunze, who is the chairman of PEAAZ, said the purpose of the tour was to learn best practices on fair and ethical recruitment of migrant workers and the management of migrant resource centres.
Government launched the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) in 2021.
The policy is designed to improve the governance of labour migration as well as the protection and empowerment of migrant workers.
It also seeks to ensure that labour migration contributes to Zimbabwe’s social economic development.
As a result, Government, through the support of IOM, identified Kenya as one of the African countries that has progressed in labour migration governance through a number of initiatives.
“It was from this policy background that the Private Employment Agencies were seen as having a pivotal role in Zimbabwe’s labour migration sector.
“The project also seek to address existing regulatory loopholes and capacity constrains limiting the fulfilment and protection of migrant workers.
“Through the NLMP, there is an opportunity for Government, working in coordination with civil society, unions and the private sector, to play a vital role in the process of regulation, implementation and monitoring of recruitment practices, thus enhancing protection for migrant workers.” said Mr Kunze.
“Labour recruiters often play a critical role in labour migration connecting workers in countries of origin with employers in countries of destination. Besides the effort made to ensure the protection of migrant workers, millions remain vulnerable and assume significant risk during migration process.
“In Zimbabwe, there is a massive recruitment of service workers, notably nurses, house maids and cruise ship workers across the globe.
“There are also highly skilled personnel in health care, education and engineering.
“The study equipped participants with practical knowledge on the effective implementation of the nation’s labour migration policy,” he said.
Online Reporter