Tendai Kamhungira
in VICTORIA FALLS
PUBLIC Service minister Paul Mavima says he will expedite the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill and ensure its passing before the end of the current Parliament session.
The Bill seeks to improve occupational safety and health in the country in line with global standards. Speaking at the official launch of the National Social Security Authority’s 59th National Conference on Safety and Health at Work in Victoria Falls on Wednesday, Mavima said the Bill was set to update the current systems in order to meet international standards.
“We are updating our law and we are at an advanced stage of drafting that Bill. Once it’s fully drafted we take it to Cabinet and then to Parliament and I am committed to making sure that it passes during this session of Parliament before we go into the next session in 2023.
“The Bill is just bringing our regulations related to occupational safety and health up to date. It then takes care of the improvements that have happened in the world of work and makes sure that our systems are clearly updated and going to international standards,” Mavima said.
The minister also said that there was still a lot that needs to be done to improve occupational safety and health “in the informal, micro-small and medium sized enterprises”. “I am still confident that if we strengthen social dialogue and work together as one, there will be a positive turnaround in our OSH performance,” Mavima said.
Nssa acting general manager Charles Shava also said the organisation was working on a framework to extend the scope of occupational safety and health coverage in the country to the informal sector. “We are currently developing an informal sector scheme and we hope it will be developed by the government, including the ministry of Labour.
They (Labour ministry) are spearheading this, together with us and other partners,” Shava said. Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions president Florence Taruvinga said the informal sector had become the dominant business sector in Zimbabwe.
“This sector by its nature inherently harbours opportunities for OSH violations and poses a plethora of challenges in addressing the decent work agenda with regard to OSH. We are aware that the sector does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Factories and Works Act, particularly on compensation after work-related injuries.
“This therefore calls for action on this omission urgently with particular regard to the harmonisation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 87 on decent work,” Taruvinga said.
She also called on the government to seriously consider the ratification of ILO Convention 184 on Safety and Health in Agriculture as well Convention 189 on Domestic Workers, saying these were important health and safety conventions.