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Minister Prisca Mupfumira

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
PUBLIC Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira has said the Labour Amendment Bill is now ready and will soon be tabled in Parliament.

Officiating at the Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe (IPMZ) 2017 convention in Victoria Falls on Thursday, Cde Mupfumira said the drafting of the bill was complete.

“The draft Bill is now ready at the Attorney General’s Office and will be submitted to Parliament soon.

“All the consultations have been done with the three social parties, that is Government, labour and business,” said Cde Mupfumira.

The Minister said the Bill is meant to revise changes to the Labour Act that were done without consulting parties in 2015.

The Government amended the labour law following a July 17, 2015 Supreme Court ruling that allowed employers to terminate employment contracts on three months’ notice without packages.

Thousands of workers were thrown onto the street following the ruling.

Cde Mupfumira said the Government engaged concerned parties after many people lost their jobs, resulting in the latest labour Amendment Bill.

“A lot of issues are being dealt with and all parties are in agreement.

“All of us have been talking about reviewing the Labour Law in view of the 2015 amendment where decisions were done without full consultation of all parties. This was done to stop the bleeding in the industry,” she said.

Cde Mupfumira said the labour environment is dynamic hence the need to constantly review laws.

She said the Amendment Bill will address issues to do with contracts as some employers now prefer to put their workforce on contracts as opposed to permanent employees.

She said the Government wants to strike a balance between the interests of workers and employers.

The Minister said the labour market is stable following government’s intervention. — @ncubeleon