The East African Community (EAC) partner states have not yet agreed on the benchmarks for issuance of work permits and now trade unions want them to be processed within 30 days and fees for getting them abolished.

“Processing time for the handling of work permits should be shortened to a maximum of 30 days”, Francis Atwoli, the chairperson of the East African Conferderation of Trade Unions (EATUC), stressed.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of regional officials here, he said the required documents for work permit applications should be standardised and made uniform throughout the EAC region.

He said even after the coming into force of the Common Market Protocol four years ago, there has not been an agreed formula which would kick start implementation of the provisions related to free labour movement in the region.

Mr Atwoli, who is the secretary general of the all powerful Confederation of Trade Unions in Kenya, Cotu, suggested a revised version of Annex II of the Common Market Protocol (CMP) be put in place when the current one expires next year.

The new annex on implementation of free movement of labour, he insisted, should be operationalized through a tripartite mechanism at the EAC regional level “and should be administered at national level through tripartite forums”.

All special requirements outside the provisions of the Protocol, which came into force in July 2010, such as requirements of minimum annual salary income level or age limit should be removed immediately, he said.

The Arusha meeting further agreed that  simple versions of the CMP documents should be translated into common local languages in order to raise awareness among the people of EA on benefits of free movement of labour in the region.