Parliament of South Africa
Parliament of South Africa
11/14/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/15/2024 00:01
Media Statement: Committee Wants Decisive Intervention on the Matter of Migrant Workers
Parliament, Thursday, 14 November 2024 - The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, Mr Boyce Maneli, has described the Draft National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) as a progressive one as it seeks to regulate immigration of workers to South Africa and South Africans emigrating to other countries for job opportunities.
The committee welcomed the draft NLMP and called for the Department of Employment and Labour to ensure that all stages of processing it are urgently attended to, as they are already creating tensions between South Africans and foreign nationals.
On Wednesday, the committee received a briefing from the department where it was revealed that the draft policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill had been issued with a constitutional certificate affirming alignment with the Constitution and socio-economic impact assessment.
The committee heard that the policy was intended to, among others, ensure migration contributed positively on the economy while respecting migrant workers' rights. But also, the employment of South Africans remains a first priority, and that employment of foreign nationals was regulated and that it supported skills transfer.
Mr Maneli said the country needed this intervention, especially that some sectors of the economy prefer hiring migrant workers even in the unskilled and semi-skilled jobs meant to be preserved for South Africans. This further requires alignment with proposed legislation from the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Small Business Development on migration matters.
The committee was informed that the Bill was being introduced together with the Employment Services Amendment Bill, and both were on the way to Cabinet. "We call on the department to speedily process these two pieces of legislation for processing by the committee. South Africans can no longer be patient, when it is evident to everyone that things are not happening the way they should be," added Mr Maneli.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR, MR BOYCE MANELI.
For media inquiries or interviews with the Committee Chairperson, please contact the Committee's Media Officer:
Name: Mr Sibongile Maputi
Cell: 081 052 6060
Email: [email protected]
The committee welcomed the draft NLMP and called for the Department of Employment and Labour to ensure that all stages of processing it are urgently attended to, as they are already creating tensions between South Africans and foreign nationals.
On Wednesday, the committee received a briefing from the department where it was revealed that the draft policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill had been issued with a constitutional certificate affirming alignment with the Constitution and socio-economic impact assessment.
The committee heard that the policy was intended to, among others, ensure migration contributed positively on the economy while respecting migrant workers' rights. But also, the employment of South Africans remains a first priority, and that employment of foreign nationals was regulated and that it supported skills transfer.
Mr Maneli said the country needed this intervention, especially that some sectors of the economy prefer hiring migrant workers even in the unskilled and semi-skilled jobs meant to be preserved for South Africans. This further requires alignment with proposed legislation from the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Small Business Development on migration matters.
The committee was informed that the Bill was being introduced together with the Employment Services Amendment Bill, and both were on the way to Cabinet. "We call on the department to speedily process these two pieces of legislation for processing by the committee. South Africans can no longer be patient, when it is evident to everyone that things are not happening the way they should be," added Mr Maneli.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR, MR BOYCE MANELI.
For media inquiries or interviews with the Committee Chairperson, please contact the Committee's Media Officer:
Name: Mr Sibongile Maputi
Cell: 081 052 6060
Email: [email protected]