Government approves labour migration policy

Cabinet has approved the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) which has been formulated to make it easier for lower skilled people to seek work abroad and offer them social protection, while at the same time strengthening mechanisms for harnessing remittances for economic development.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza told our sister paper, The Herald recently that approval by Cabinet indicated the government’s commitment to a development and implementation of the National Labour Migration Policy that aims to manage the country’s internal, intra-regional and international migration flows.

This is the first time that Zimbabwe has formulated a labour migration policy to help manage migration flows for national development.

Dr Nzenza said the NLMP sought to enhance labour migration governance for strengthened protection and empowerment of Zimbabwean migrant workers in line with international norms on safe migration and decent work for all.

“Through this policy, we want to harness and maximise the benefits of (inward and outward) labour migration for national development, including through remittances and investment promotion and functional labour market information systems,” she said.

“The vision of the National Labour Migration Policy is to establish a well-managed, sustainable and inclusive labour migration management system that promotes good governance and effective regulation of labour migration, and protects the rights of labour migrants and their families.”

The policy also seeks to protect the welfare of thousands of Zimbabweans living abroad and implement strategies to deal with the challenges posed by migration of all forms.

All this, Dr Nzenza said, would be done with a view to reap the benefits of migration.

In her recent presentation to Cabinet, she said migration was increasingly being recognised as a major human development issue which, if effectively managed, could contribute towards socio-economic development.

“For Zimbabwe, between 2009 and June 2015, international remittances have scored second after exports in terms of foreign currency earnings,” said Dr Nzenza.

“According to the 2017 National Budget Statement, formal remittance receipts amounted to US$935 million in 2015 and US$780 million in 2016.

“The National Labour Migration Policy accordingly seeks to compliment other existing frameworks such as the National Diaspora Policy and Trafficking in Persons National Plan of Action in order to harness the development gains from labour migration while extending protection to our citizens in other countries.”

Remittances to low and middle income countries reached US$466 billion in 2017, an increase of 8,5 percent over US$429 billion in 2016, according to the 2018 World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Brief.

Despite the benefits that come with migration, there has been numerous reports of Zimbabweans being exploited and abused by employers in destination countries.

Many Zimbabwean labourers are caught in a web of irregular migration with frequent reports of abuse, exploitation and threats of deportation.

In 2016, Zimbabweans were shocked by reports of 200 women migrant workers who had been trafficked into the Arab States and were living under inhuman conditions and extreme exploitation.

The Government had to mobilise resources to quickly assist the victims to return home.

Apart from the Arab States reports, Minister Nzenza said Zimbabwean migrant workers within the Southern African region were also prone to xenophobia, victimisation, harassment and non-payment of wages and pensions, largely due to their undocumented or irregular migrant status.