Strengthening Labour Migration Management in Swaziland

The overall objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) in Swaziland to implement labour migration programmes within the framework of the SADC Labour Migration Action Plan, SADC Regional Labour Migration Policy Framework, and Article 19 of the SADC Employment and Labour Protocol on the Protection of Migrant Workers.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, will achieve this objective through the following three outcomes: 1) The practical implementation of the labour migration policies of the GoS incorporates migrant protection principles; 2) GoS demonstrates a commitment to utilising up-to-date factual information on regional mining migration trends; and 3) Swaziland-South Africa bilateral engagement on labour migration management is strengthened.

This national labour migration project is designed to complement the IOM Development Fund (IDF)-funded regional project that aims to bring together the selected SADC Member States in order to facilitate South-South labour mobility arrangements with a view toward ensuring the protection of the fundamental human, labour, and social rights of migrant workers, their families, and associated communities of origin and destination; therefore, some of the project components are similar, but there will also be one customised component related to harnessing labour migration opportunities for the development of the country through South-South cooperation. This will entail supporting the Ministry of Labour to engage in a technical meeting with their counterparts in South Africa with a view toward reinvigorating discussions surrounding the draft “Swaziland-South Africa Employment and Labour Cluster Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Joint Bilateral Technical Cooperation Agreements (JBTCAs) on 1) Labour Migration; 2) Conditions and Benefits of Employment of Migrant Workers’ and 3) Occupational Health and Workmen’s Compensation Issues”. A major regional inception meeting involving 10 SADC Member States will also be hosted by the Government of Swaziland in order to enhance South-South cooperation among the countries benefiting from the national and regional IDF labour migration projects in 2015 and 2016.