Precipitants of the ineffective labor act enforcement in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The research sought to establish precipitants of ineffective labor act enforcement in the Gokwe area in Zimbabwe. A quantitative approach was used in this study. A survey study design was utilized through the use of a structured questionnaire. The stratified sampling method was used to select 80 participants. What emerged as major precipitants of ineffective labor act enforcement in the country, were lack of education, the legal cost involved, lack of representation, contradictions between Labor Officers and Designated Agents, and the bias of labor act enforcers as well as the distance traveled to seek labor justice. To ensure workers are more conscious of their rights, there should be a rollout of labor act educational campaigns in the country to inform employees and employers of their rights and their boundaries. The Government should remove application costs paid by the winning party at the labor court. To reduce the distance, the government should revisit the labor act, particularly on the issue of designated agents to grant labor officers some power within the jurisdictions of the designated agents to stimulate labor act enforcement and good practices. The dispute resolution system should be less expensive.