Unions, employers upset over NECs

Published: 24 August 2017

THE Employers' Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ) and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) have expressed concern over government's engagement of National Employment Councils (NECs) for input into the zero draft Labour Bill.

Government, through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, will next week convene a symposium in Victoria Falls where NEC general secretaries and designated agents will give their input into the draft Labour Bill.

The symposium will run from August 29 to September 1.

The zero draft Labour Bill is a working document which intends to guide social partners in amending the Labour Act of 2015. The Bill's objective is to solve the problems that were created by a High Court judgment of July 2015 which among other things allowed employers to terminate employment contracts on three months' notice.

The Bill, which arose from the realisation that workers' rights were not adequately protected under the current legislation, aims to harmonise the country's labour laws with the International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s conventions which promote decent work.

The Bill was put in place by government, business and labour after a high level ILO delegation which visited the country early this year expressed concern over the abuse of workers' rights in the country.

EMCOZ president, Josephat Kahwema, questioned the decision to consult NECs, arguing that they were not party to the Tripartite Negotiation Forum (TNF).

"The Labour Ministry is out to play the divide and rule gimmick under the guise of extensive consultation. There is need for government to consider that convening a symposium with NECs is not necessary because these councils are made up of both employer and employee representatives. As such the EMCOZ and ZCTU are mandated to represent both employee and employer's interests in the highest decision making organ which is the Tripartite Negotiation Forum. Therefore, there is no reason for consulting a constituency which is not a principal to the draft bill," he said.

Kahwema said his organisation had since warned government to desist from any attempt to add new clauses that were not agreed to by TNF principals.

ZCTU secretary general, Japhet Moyo, said labour was shocked to learn that government was clandestinely canvassing for views from NEC staff on a Bill which was already before the Attorney General.

"Reasons behind government's attempt to undermine the existing social dialogue process is a mystery, but the only explanation that can be deduced from this conduct is that government officials are likely to pocket money by making the NECs to pay for participating at the symposium," he said.

Moyo pointed out that he had started engaging unionists who sit in the NECs to snub the event.

He added that engagements with the apex council and employer organisations had since commenced in a bid to take a stand against government's intransigence.

"If employer organisations and unions reign in their NEC staff, then the symposium becomes a flop," Moyo said.

Efforts to get a comment from the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Prisca Mupfumira, were fruitless as her mobile phone was unreachable.
- fingaz