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Live Updates : Labour Amendment Bill debate

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NewsDay gives you updates on the debate in Parliament on the provisions of the Labour Amendment Bill.

NewsDay gives you updates on the debate in Parliament on the provisions of the Labour Amendment Bill. The bill seeks to repeal provisions that have been used to release 20 000 employees on three months’ notice

Xolisani Ncube and Richard Chidza

 

20:28 : The Bill has been passed subject to amendments to be passed through the Labour Minister by the MDC.

20:01: Chamisa, Gonese and Chibaya leading protestation against the pace at which the bill is being moved at.

19:58: Chaos in the house as Zanu PF MPs push through the Bill and block debate on particular clauses

19:50: The house is now in committee. The Speaker says the Bill shouls pass through today.

19:23 Masango Matambanadzo debating

He thanks the president for summoning them back to Parliament.

Matambanadzo accuses Chamisa of causing the job carnage.He calls for the banning of Chamisa from practising law because he caused many people to suffer

19:20 Prosper Mutseyami MP for Musikavanhu debating

He says the minister should review the entire bill.

19:10:Hon. Musanhu debating “There is overprotection of workers…the current Labour Bill will scuttle investment.

He argues that the Bill will chase away investors as it protects workers more than employers.

He urges Labour Minister Prisca Mupfumira to ‘balance the equation and ensure that the industry survives’

Kindness Paradza debating 18:53 He says workers have died due to the recent labour ruling.

Paradza reads out the name of a worker from Chiweshe who took posion after he was given a letter of termination from the State owned Grain Marketing Board.

He said government must push for the establishment of a National Employment Council in the media industry.

Paradza also states that the workers union in Zimbabwe no longer represent the interest of the workers.

Anastacia Ndlovhu debating on the bill

Anastacia Ndlovhu said the Bill should protect the workers in the agricultural sector. AShe blames sanctions sor job losses.

18: 38 Jessie Majome debating

She says government is being pressured by IMF to reduce its workforce and what has happened so far should save as a lesson as to government on how the people will respond to such a move

“The Labour Bill should be reviewed stating that a provision must be inserted to protect workers on contracts so that they don’t take too long to be regarded as permanent workers,” says Majome

18:35 Tshinga Dube now debating

“If we don’t look at both sides the employers and employees. .. they will be more companies closures before year end

He pleads with members to be careful when debating saying they must not be more protective of the employees

 

18:25 James Maridadi now debating the the bill

He says the most retrenchments are affecting shop floor workers “Government must protect shop floor workers and those who must go are top management. Says the minister should apologise for failing to protect the workers.” Maridadi accuses the current leadership in the country has failed to protect the workers and that true leaders must stand up for the workers

Maridadi accused of sacsim when he congratulated President for handing over power as Sadc chair to Botswana president Ian Khama

Speaker demands an apology from Maridadi and he is forced to do so.

18:10 – Kereke: The transitional provision that this contemplated law be retrospectively effective from 17th of July, 2015 is very welcome.

18:04: Kereke: The Labour Amemndment Bill, 2015, has the following areas of concern which Parliament should resolve to amend:

The presumptive contemplation in the Bill that an application by an employer to retrench without paying packages on the allegation of inability to pay be deemed as approved if not responded to within 14 days is a clear biased enclave for potential abuse of workers.

18:00 – Government through Parliament, must therefore, without further delays, institute deliberate cleansing processes to weed out statutory aberrations in our laws. Doing otherwise would be to foster accidents in waiting that would come to hurt our cohesive existence as a people.

17:56 – Zimbabwe is a country that was born out of spirited armed resistance against colonial subjugation, which in turn was underpinned by abusive laws meant to supress and oppress the majority indigenous African people.

17:52 – Dr Munyaradzi Kereke MP Bikita West (Zanu PF): In any economy, socio economic and political stability can only be guaranteed if society perceives existence of reasonable fairness in the distribution of national incomes and the means of production across the different social classes.

17:40 – Chimanikire adds: Mugabe has insisted upon.the alignment of the laws to the country’s constitution and we must not forget that. We should defend the independence of labour.

17:37 – Gift Chimanikire, MP for Southerton (MDC-T). The supreme court judgment has inspired genocide against workers. Minister should consider a severance package as a lump sum before the two weeks or one month for every year served. Consider relocation allowance and medical aid. We cannot have exemption for companies that have not approached authorities for insolvency. There are violations of the constitution. You cannot suspend an elected union official to replace with an administrator. We are no longer defending the constitution if we allow this bill to pass in its state. We cannot allow an illegal amendment.

17:28 – Chinotimba:It is unfair to retrench someone who wld have served for 42 yrs. Chinotimba wants workers to receive 85% Of their pay as compensation for every year served. Two weeks for every year is “goat-shit” (The house laughs)

17:20 – Hon Joseph Chinotimba speaking. Miekles fired 500 workers in February so we must backdate the retrospective clause to accommodate these unfortunate workers. They got only three months from Miekles.

17:16 – Khupe the Vice President of MDC-T continues: 94.5 percent of all jobs according to statistical agency Zimstats are informal up from 80 percent in 2004. Our people need jobs to survive. All fired workers must be reinstated or adequately compensated. Khupe calls for resuscitation of social dialogue. Bill does not consider ILO conventions. Stop dealing with symptoms and get to the root of the problems. Let us stop patching a torn trousers.

17:04 – Thokozani Khupe of the MDC said her party does not support the supreme court ruling> She adds: We do not support the powers being given to the minister to interfere with collective bargaining. The Bill is in violation of constitution section 65. This bill does not speak to the letter and spirit of the constitution. We should be talking about real issues, production and productivity. Bill will take away the remaining 5.5 percent formal jobs.Formal sector is shrinking everyday

17:02 – Honourable Chidavaenzi: “Silence by labour movements is a cheap political gimmick.

16:59 – Nduna adds that those retrenched are retracing their footsteps to the rural areas because of the change in their financial status.

16:54 Dexter Nduna, Chegutu West MP says Parliament should review the compensation from one month for every two years served to 1 month for every year served

16:28 – Says the minimum package set in the Bill was a result of best practice.

16:24 – Says the Bill is guided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe and seeks to protect both parties and abide by the ILO statutes. She says the Bill is a product of negotiations of labour, government and business.

16:21 – Says government has been seized with labour law reform since 2008

16:20 – Now mupfumira presenting the bill in detail

16:18 – The bill will now be read for the second time

16:18 – Now the minister Prisca Mupfumira will have the bill read for the second time and open for debate on tjet merits of the bill… mps will have the time to debate it now in full

16:15 – Chair of the committee of the House Dep. Speaker Marbel Chinomona reports the overturning of the adverse report to the Speaker who has adopted it.

16:14 – Now the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda taking up his seat to receive the PLC report and move the Bill for the second time.

16:08 – Mnangagwa on the floor. As Justice Minister I wish to contribute on the report of the PLC.I am satisfied that the report contradicts itself.

16:07 – The House has rejected the adverse report after Chidavaenzi moved for its rejection and seconded by Matangira and Zindi.

16:05 – Hon Chidavaenzi from says the adverse report is misplaced and should be rejected in its totality

16:03 – Binga North Mp Mr Prince Sibanda says the Plc is one of the moment of madness the country had witnessed. He said dismissing of more than 20 000 people was not something that could be ignored. He said never had a country witnessed an abuse of a right by employers.

16:03 – Lupane East mp Cde Martin Khumalo nw on the floor. He urges for a win win situation saying currently the law favoured the employer.

16:03 – Vice president Mnangagwa is back.

16:03 – Which includes the time frame the committee should study the bill and consult the general public

16:01 – The minister of labour early on had moved a motion that parliament suspends the time for automatic adjournment at 19:45 and also suspends all other legal process that would stop the passage of the bill in the shortest time possible.

15:57 – He says talking to reporters outside the house

15:55 – Chasi who has left the house says they is no law both common and constitutional law where it is unlawful for parliament to legislate in retrospect in the best public interest and common good of our workers especially if it’s a question of life and death for thousands.

15:51- Especially on the issue of applying the law in retrospective

15:50 – Chapfika says the minister of labour should sit down with the parliamentary legal committee and discuss on the way forward of the bill

15:48 – The adverse report stated that the transitional mechanism in the bill which states that people should be paid A two weeks salary backdated to July 17 is unconstitutional and could be challenged in the courts.

15:44 – Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chasi have left the House to discuss the report.

15:43 – David Chapfika says Parliament should not disregard the constitutional issues raised by the PLC report.

15:41 – Irene Zindi says Parliament should disregard the PLC report and move to protect the workers and discuss the Bill in detail.

15:39 – According to the Bill, law wil be implemented back dated to July 17 and that workers who were fired on or after the July 17 be paid two weeks salary for every year served.

15:37 – Nelson Chamisa said the house should discard the report from the PLC which seeks to stop the passage of the bill as the reportis anti-people and has parliament has the right to pass a law with a retrospective effect.

15:36 – The House is now debating the adverse report and Munyaradzi Kereke said the report from the PLC should be ignored because it does not protectover 20 000 people who lost their jobs.

Chinotimba says most MPs are against the retrospective aspect because they are business people.

15:35 – The labour bill has been tabled before the house The parliamentary legal committee chaired by Hon. Fortune Chasi tabled an adverse report which meant that the has constitutional issue.