Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140) - Zimbabwe (Ratification: 1998)

Articles 2 to 6 of the Convention. Granting paid educational leave. The Committee notes the Government’s report received in September 2013, indicating that consultations between the Government and the social partners towards the formulation of the national policy to promote the granting of paid educational leave are still ongoing. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report relevant information related to the formulation of a policy designed to promote the granting of paid educational leave in association with employers’ and workers’ organizations. It also invites the Government to include detailed information on effective tripartite consultations held to coordinate the national policy and their results.

Article 7. Financial arrangements. The Government indicates that it is envisaged that the financing of paid educational leave will be shared between the employers and workers. The platform of sectoral bargaining councils (national employment councils) would then be used to manage a sectoral fund created for that purpose. In the long term and subject to government capacity, a national fund administered by the Government is expected to take over the financing mandate. The Committee notes that this is subject to tripartite consultations. The Committee therefore invites the Government to include information in its next report on the measures adopted within the national policy to finance arrangements for paid educational leave.

Article 8. Discrimination. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government indicates that one of the measures to ensure equal access to paid educational leave by all workers is the elaboration of legal provisions that grant leave for all workers regardless of gender. It adds that this will be done within the context of the labour law reform. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the measures adopted within the national policy and within the context of the labour law reform to ensure that all workers have equal access to paid educational leave.