WeeklySA_AdminMIGRATION: The aim is also to establish schemes to promote employment for the youths
By Monk Nkomo
The Department of Employment and Labour will hold public hearings in the country to help determine a policy that will, amongst others, help to facilitate the employment of foreign nationals in a manner that is consistent with the objectives of the Employment Services Act.
The draft National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) and the Employment Service Bill were published on February 28 this year and members of the public were given 90 days to submit written submissions. The Employment Services board will be embarking on a series of these public hearings in all nine provinces starting in North West from May 23 to 25.
The hearings are being held amid the intensified nationwide campaign by Operation Dudula, a movement that aims to root out undocumented foreign nationals in the country. The movement has already drawn massive support in most of the provinces. The organization is targeting foreign nationals claiming that they were taking over jobs meant for South African citizens.
They have already established branches in some of the provinces and they also aim at exposing and rooting out extortion rackets that are believed to be demanding protection fees from foreigners running businesses in various townships.
The Department of Employment and Labour acting spokesperson, Mokgadi Pela, in a statement, said following the release of the draft NLMP and the Employment Service Bill, the Department of Employment and Labour’s Public Employment Services (PES) branch in partnership with the Employment Services (ES) board had embarked on a series of public hearings to solicit public inputs from stakeholders within all the nine provinces.
The NLMP has been designed to achieve the following:
• Document current challenges on the basis of evidence;
• Adopt guiding principles rooted in South Africa’s core values and international commitments;
• Identify national strategic priorities at the intersection of national interests and guiding principles;
• Propose sustainable intervention methods; monitoring and implementation mechanisms.
‘’The rationale of the consultation process is also to conduct advocacy sessions on the draft Employment Services Amendment Bill and National Labour Migration Policy, so as to ensure that the public is sufficiently consulted and to enable the Employment Services Board to adequately advise the Minister.
‘’The Employment Services Board exists to advocate for the Employment Services Act – a legislation that provides for public employment services through the establishment of schemes to promote the employment of young work seekers and other vulnerable persons; provide for schemes to assist employees in distressed companies to retain employment. ‘’The legislation also helps facilitate the employment of foreign nationals in a manner that is consistent with the objects of this Act and the Immigration Act; provide for the registration and regulation of private employment agencies; provide for the establishment of Productivity South Africa; provide for the establishment of Supported Employment Enterprises; provide for transitional provisions and provide for matters connected therewith’’.
The public hearings in North West will be held at the following venues:
Hotel School in Mafikeng from 9am to 11am on May 23;
Rio Hotel in Klerksdorp from 9am to 11am on May 24.
Kgaswane Country Lodge in Rustenburg from 9am to 11am on May 25. Pela said the targeted stakeholders include government departments (national and provincial); State owned companies; municipalities (district and local); employers; social partners (business, community and organised labour); religious sectors or leaders; Parliament; traditional leaders; research and academic institutions; international organisations; Non-government organisations and Constitutional institutions.
