Online Reporter
The Herald
27 April 1989
THERE is need to combine Zimbabwe’s labour laws and find a better way of fixing pay scales, the Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare, Cde John Nkomo, said in Harare yesterday.
Speaking at the general meeting of the Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe, Cde Nkomo said the private sector, public service, local authority and parastatal employees were at the moment covered by different laws providing for different conditions of service and had different grievance procedures administered by different Government agencies.
“This has created a situation in which it is difficult to develop common employment standards which are commonly known and accepted. To a worker, maternity leave or sick leave should mean the same thing whether she works in Government, a parastatal or the private sector.”
Tripartite consultations between the Government, employers and trade unions had recommended that a method of harmonising these laws be worked out and this was being considered.
The tripartite consultation group has also noted that the Labour Relations Act provided for the determination of wages and other conditions of employment through collective bargaining.
This provision had not been brought into effect because the pre-conditions for an effective system-namely, well-organised unions and employer organisations did not fully exist.
“Government has agreed that salaries should now be determined through collective bargaining within parameters recommended by an incomes and prices board and approved by Government. The board which is being set up will advise Government on all matters relating to incomes and prices,” he said.
Lessons for today:
Having different labour laws for different sectors (private sector, public service, local authorities, parastatals) leads to unequal conditions of service, confusion among workers about their rights and administrative
Workers doing comparable work should enjoy equal rights and protections, regardless of employer.
John Nkomo’s statement that maternity leave or sick leave “should mean the same thing” across sectors highlights an early push for equity and dignity in work. Labour law harmonisation is not just a technical reform, it is a social justice issue.
The Labour Relations Act allowed collective bargaining, but it could not be implemented due to, weak trade unions and poorly organised employer bodies.
Policy challenges persist when structural reforms are partial or uneven. Long-term consistency in implementation matters as much as good intentions.
The article teaches that fair labour systems require unified laws, strong institutions, inclusive dialogue, and alignment with national economic goals. Without these, even well-designed policies struggle to deliver equity and stability.
