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Handle labour movt
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East African
Business Week, September 07, 2010
Ease labour movement in EAC
market
Business Daily
Africa, August 19, 2010
By Fredrick Njehu
The East African Community common
market has been received with much enthusiasm locally and
internationally.
Basically, the four freedoms granted (labour,
capital, goods and services) have been regarded as pivotal
to economic, social and ultimate political integration of
the East African region.
In the minds of East Africans, we are
likely to see increased cross-border trade in sectors
where each partner state has a comparative edge.
Labour movement is likely to be the
major market access tool in the era of the common market.
The reason for picking labour services
is obviously due to the fact that, previously under the
customs union, trade in goods was given preference in the
regional trade and investments.
Interestingly, there might arise both
job destruction and creation in the EAC common market that
could illustrate how different EAC countries
characteristics, including labour market policies, can
affect temporary or permanent employment at sectoral or
country level.
First, this will be driven by visa
requirements which are critical if manpower is to move
swiftly across the EAC borders.
World Development Report 2009 shows
that Uganda has the best case in the EAC as it does not
require any visas from any visitors, followed by Kenya
which requires a visa by visitors from 21 countries, and
Tanzania at 35.
The few visa requirements by the EAC
countries imply open competition for the labour market.
In efforts to facilitate cross-border
movement of people, the EAC could design labour migration
regimes aimed at increasing mobility of labour within EAC.
Currently, the EAC member states lack a
common migration policy or a migrant labour regime that
can guide movement of people within the region.
It is expected that the common market
will solve the existing challenges in order to ensure
smooth movement of people within the EAC region by
establishing a legal framework for the free movement of
goods; persons; labour; services; capital; right of
establishment; and right of residence.
The common market migration and labour
policy therefore should be used as a tool to ensure labour
productivity in the EAC.
This law if enacted should also be
based on international benchmarks stipulated by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention, which
covers key aspects of occupational safety and health,
against forced labour, and on discrimination provide
minimum international norms for national legislation by
upholding minimal decent work conditions.
The writer is a researcher at CUTS
Africa Resource Centre.
This article can also be viewed at:
http://www.busiweek.com/
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/
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