{
  "id": 8275602,
  "title": "Justice sector actors call for stronger cross-border cooperation to advance labour justice",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/justice-sector-actors-call-for-stronger-cross-border-cooperation-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T16:56:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KBC",
    "slug": "kbc",
    "url": "https://www.kbc.co.ke/justice-sector-actors-call-for-stronger-cross-border-cooperation-to-advance-labour-justice/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Labour sector stakeholders have emphasized the necessity for enhanced national, regional and international collaboration to tackle emerging challenges in labour justice resulting from heightened labour mobility and evolving work dynamics. At the final session of the fourth Employment and Labour Relations Annual Symposium and Exhibition (ELRASE IV, 2026) held at Strathmore University in Nairobi, State Department for Labour and Skills Development Principal Secretary Shadrack Mwadime stressed that efficient labour migration governance must encompass more than merely facilitating worker movement; it must ensure the protection of their rights, welfare and access to justice throughout the entire migration process. Mwadime clarified that modern labour mobility involves skill development aligned with international benchmarks, access to righteous job prospects, and safeguarding migrant workers via secure, orderly, and regular migration routes. He underscored that when labour mobility is managed appropriately, it brings substantial advantages to migrants, communities, employers, governments, and other stakeholders in both origin and destination nations. The Principal Secretary highlighted that this advantage is only achievable when supported by robust protections for workers, starting from the pre-employment stage, during the employment period, and upon return and reintegration. Mwadime affirmed that the symposium offered an opportunity for the government, judiciary, employers, workers' organizations, recruitment agencies, civil society, development partners, and other stakeholders to bolster cooperation in labour migration governance and justice administration. Principal Judge Monica Mbaru of the Employment and Labour Relations Court emphasised during the symposium's closing that ELEASE IV highlighted the criticality of safeguarding labour rights and access to justice as workers increasingly traverse geographical and legal boundaries. She pointed out that the symposium highlighted the opportunities and vulnerabilities linked to labour mobility, encompassing recruitment practices, unfair contract terms, wage exploitation, hazardous working conditions, discrimination, harassment, human trafficking, forced labour, and unjust dismissal. Justice Mbaru stressed that crossing borders should not undermine workers' access to justice and advocated for concrete steps, including enhanced judicial research and resources, improved court accessibility, effective technology use and alternative dispute resolution, better coordination of labour migration policies, and the creation of consistent legal precedents on cross-border employment disagreements. The overarching aim is to construct a labor justice system prepared for the future, where geographical borders no longer hinder access to justice, and every worker—local, migrant, formal, informal, or employed in emerging work forms—can be confident that the law safeguards their dignity and provides accessible remedies when their rights are infringed upon. The three-day symposium, organized by the Judiciary under the theme \"Labour Migration and Access to Justice: Strengthening Judicial Responses to Inclusive and Effective Labour Justice Systems,\" convened key stakeholders to deliberate on the future of labor justice in an increasingly interconnected world. Discussions focused on global and regional migration trends, cross-border labor disputes, judicial innovation, refugee employment rights, alternative dispute resolution, international labor standards, human rights, constitutionalism, institutional reforms, and the implications of labor mobility for courts and other justice sector entities, notably the necessity for effective mechanisms to resolve cross-jurisdictional labor disputes.",
  "summary": "Stakeholders in the employment and labour sector have underscored the need for stronger national, regional and international cooperation to address emerging challenges in labour justice arising from increased labour mobility and the changing world of work. Speaking at Strathmore University in Nairobi during the closing ceremony of the fourth Employment and Labour Relations Annual Symposium […]…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}