dyton mupawaenda
Minister Edgar Moyo
AS Zimbabwe prepares to host the meeting of SADC Ministers of Employment and Labour and Social Partners later this month, several critical labour and employment issues will dominate discussions.
These include high unemployment, decent work, social protection, labour rights, labour mobility and relevant skills development. Another crucial topic that should take centre stage is the impact of digital transformation on the future of work.
While technological advancements drive productivity, they also lead to high retrenchment rates and are closely linked to many of the challenges facing the labour sector today.The discussions should focus on setting living wages that enhance decent work, reducing the cost of living, enforcing fair labour standards and ensuring compliance with local and international labour laws to protect workers’ rights.
Additionally, there is a need to strengthen and harmonise labour laws to improve compliance mechanisms and create policies that promote job creation in key sectors such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing.
Encouraging entrepreneurship and vocational training programmes will also be essential in equipping young people with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in the economy.
The informal sector plays a significant role in Zimbabwe’s economy, yet workers in this segment often lack job security, health benefits and pensions. There is an urgent need for policies that extend social protection to informal workers, ensuring they receive similar protections as those in the formal sector.
Enforcing labour laws within the informal economy is paramount to achieving this goal.
Strengthen labour inspections
Strengthening labour inspections is another key priority. Effective inspections are crucial for ensuring fair working conditions, preventing worker exploitation and enforcing labour laws.
SADC member states should implement strategies such as:
Enhancing labour inspector capacities — Providing training and equipping labour inspectors with vehicles to improve accessibility in difficult terrain.
Strengthening legal frameworks — Imposing stronger penalties for non-compliance with labour laws.
Awareness campaigns and training — Educating employers and workers on labour rights; occupational safety and health; decent work principles; and HIV awareness.
Tripartite collaboration — Organised business, labour unions and Government must work together to strengthen inspection laws and improve enforcement mechanisms.
Protecting workers’
rights, dignity
The Government of Zimbabwe strongly condemns any form of workplace violence and exploitation.
Even before the recent viral video exposing labour violations, the authorities had received reports from mine workers.
In response, the Government conducted joint inspections targeting the mining sector in 2023, uncovering high productivity but widespread labour law violations.
Employers were subsequently advised of their legal obligations. All reported cases of labour violations, including those circulated on social media, are being thoroughly investigated and perpetrators will be held accountable. The Government has also introduced a labour law awareness campaign and training strategy to educate incoming investors on local regulations.
This initiative aims to increase compliance and empower workers to organise and defend their rights at work.
Additionally, the Government plans to conduct impact audits of workplace inspections. These reports will assess the extent of labour violations across different sectors and provinces, offering recommendations to strengthen inspection laws and enforcement mechanisms. Moving forward, inspections should focus on outcomes rather than numbers, ensuring that audits translate into higher productivity, better livelihoods and decent wages.
Regional labour movement
The SADC region faces varying challenges in skills demand, but these can be addressed through the mutual recognition of qualifications.
For instance, if a qualified teacher can migrate and be admitted into the same profession in another SADC member state, skills shortages can be effectively mitigated.
To facilitate this, SADC should promote flexible work permit policies that allow for the free movement of critical skills within the region. A structured labour migration system will help prevent worker exploitation, ensuring migrants receive fair remuneration and maintain a decent standard of living.
Furthermore, education systems across the region should be aligned with labour market demands to address skill mismatches.
Sharing labour market information, conducting skills training and fostering economic collaboration among SADC member states will be key to achieving long-term regional development.
By addressing these pressing labour issues, Zimbabwe and the broader SADC community can work towards a more inclusive, fair and economically vibrant region.
Extending social security
Efforts to extend social security to informal economy workers and vulnerable populations acknowledge the unique challenges associated with informality, such as irregular incomes, lack of awareness and administrative barriers.
In Zimbabwe, the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has implemented several initiatives to improve coverage:
Market identification for coverage expansion — NSSA’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) division has been actively identifying markets where informal economy workers operate.
This helps in designing targeted interventions that suit different sectors, such as agriculture, transport and retail.
Provision of decent work, water and sanitation — The OSH division has been working to improve working conditions in informal settings by advocating decent work practices and ensuring that informal traders and workers have access to essential services such as water and sanitation.
These improvements contribute to overall worker welfare and create an enabling environment for social security uptake.
Development of an informal sector social security scheme — The social security division is currently in the process of designing a social security scheme tailored for informal sector workers.
This follows a needs assessment that has been completed, with findings being disseminated to stakeholders. The survey covered aspects such as willingness to contribute to social security schemes, awareness levels and barriers to enrolment.
Cde Edgar Moyo is the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. He was speaking to The Sunday Mail’s Theseus Shambare ahead of the SADC Ministers of Employment and Labour and Social Partners meeting scheduled for Victoria Falls between March 24 and 26.
Awareness and enrolment strategies — NSSA is working on awareness campaigns to educate informal workers on the benefits of social security include engagement with informal worker associations, use of digital platforms and collaborations with financial institutions to integrate social security contributions into existing financial transactions.
Partnerships for financial inclusion — NSSA is exploring collaborations with financial institutions, such as NBS, to provide tailored financing solutions that support informal workers in contributing to social security.
These partnerships aim to enhance financial literacy and develop affordable contribution mechanisms.
Funding for social security systems
SADC countries face significant challenges in financing social security due to limited fiscal space, high informality and demographic pressures.
Various approaches have been adopted to ensure sustainable funding:
Contributory and non-contributory social security systems — Most SADC countries operate a dual social security system, consisting of contributory schemes and non-contributory schemes.
Contributory schemes are funded by payroll deductions from employers and employees, ensuring sustainability through mandatory contributions.
Examples include NSSA’s schemes in Zimbabwe, the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) in Tanzania and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) in South Africa.
Non-contributory schemes, such as social pensions and cash transfer programmes, provide a safety net for vulnerable populations who are unable to contribute.
These are often funded through taxation or donor support.
Here in Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare plays a pivotal role in the provision of social protection through its Social Welfare Department that is accessible in all the country’s provinces and districts.
Occupational and private pension schemes — Many countries promote occupational pension schemes to supplement social security benefits.
These schemes are typically employer-sponsored and provide additional coverage beyond national pension systems.
Private pension schemes also play a role, especially for high-income earners who seek additional retirement security.
For example, In Zimbabwe, NSSA administers contributory schemes, such as the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme (POBS) and the Accident Prevention and Workers’ Compensation Scheme (APWCS). The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare oversees non-contributory social protection programmes, including food aid, public assistance and social grants.
The Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) regulates occupational pension schemes, which offer retirement benefits to workers outside the NSSA-administered schemes.
As you may be aware, the Abuja Declaration, adopted by African Union member states, emphasises the need for increased domestic investment in social security and social protection. It encourages governments to allocate at least 15 percent of their annual budgets to health and social protection programmes.
It follows that all SADC countries have adopted strategies to align with this declaration, including expanding fiscal space for social spending and integrating social security within broader national development plans.
Exploring alternative funding mechanisms — Some countries are experimenting with innovative financing models, such as earmarked taxes (including sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco) and levies on high-income earners.
Public-private partnerships are being used to enhance financial sustainability, particularly in health and unemployment insurance schemes. For example, Mozambique has introduced sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco, directing a portion of the revenue towards funding social security programmes.South Africa applies a solidarity tax on high-income earners, with part of the funds allocated to social grants and unemployment benefits.
Botswana has considered levies on luxury goods to support its universal pension scheme for elderly citizens.
Angola has engaged private insurance companies to co-manage pension funds, ensuring the long-term financial viability of the system.
Online Reporter