The Department of Employment and Labour is this week hosting a Kenya delegation to exchange ideas as it grapples with a review of its “outdated" labour laws.

Department of Employment and Labour Acting Director General Onke Mjo said South Africa and Kenya relations extend into various areas and the engagement this week will deepen those relations. Mjo said the Department welcomed the Kenya delegation as this will help in mutual sharing of ideas, strategies and best practices of each other's countries.

Mjo was speaking at a meeting during the start of the week-long tour by the East African nation delegation held at Sandton Southern Sun Hotel. Mjo was accompanied by Departmental officials from Chief Directorate: International Relations; Directorate for Employment Equity and Collective Bargaining unit.

Shadrack Mwandime – Kenya Principal Secretary of State Department of Labour and Skills Development said the amendment of the country's labour laws has been in the making since 2017 and were in many ways out of touch and in dire need of a review.

“Our visit in South Africa is a benchmarking exercise that started more than five years ago," Mwandime said, adding that social dialogue was not easy to manage, “Covid-19, youth unemployment and other changes in the economy have impacted the labour sector and this has necessitated the reform of labour laws. We are here for a comparative study."

He said South Africa was well placed to assist Kenya as it has in the past gone through similar challenges. Mwandime said labour market operations in Kenya were being influenced by South African labour laws.

The more than 20 Kenya delegation includes official from Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the National Labour Board of Kenya. The board advices the Minister on matters concerning employment and labour.

The Kenyan delegation will tomorrow (Tuesday) visit National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), on Wednesday tour the Department's Johannesburg Labour Centre and Productivity SA, on Thursday the delegation will visit the CCMA and the National Bargaining Council for Private Security Sector. The delegation will conclude its visit to the local ILO office.

For more information, contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694 / Teboho.Thejane@labour.gov.za

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Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​

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