Grievance Redress Officers

About PLACED/MoLSA

Introduction:

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, (MoLSA) in particular, is preparing for project activities with a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The project is called Placing Labor Abroad and Connecting to Employment Domestically( PLACED). Under the PLACED PPG, three distinct activity components are defined: (i) opening a managed international labor migration corridor to GCC countries, (ii) enhancing the employability and employment outcomes for high school graduate jobseekers through supported job search and possibly private sector internships and, (iii) integrated capacity building at MoLSA for the management of the pilots under the PPG as a core for sustained capacity to manage employment programs. There will be three successive waves of contracts procured. (1) Pilot phase (2) Wave Two (3)Wave Three . The pilots phase will target groups of unemployed Afghans, designed to meet the identified needs of these groups and their potential employers, thereby increasing the jobseekers’ employability. The implementation of the pilots will be integrated with extensive on-the-job capacity building at MoLSA on key aspects of contracting and managing high-performing labor market programs.

The PLACED pilots will service approximately 4,400 jobseekers. Learning from these pilots will be informed by rigorous monitoring and evaluation, leading to the scaling up and rollout of these interventions. Following a period of MoLSA team building, procurement, and implementation (c.4 months), the pilots will run for up to 21 months, with interim evaluations (and emerging recommendations) prepared after the first and second years. The components are expected to be structured as follows:

Component 1: PLACING LABOR ABROAD (PLA) Pilot: This component will target unskilled and low-skilled Afghan male jobseekers, with the objective of: (a) preparing them for identified job opportunities in GCC countries; (b) matching them with those vacancies; (c) facilitating their travel to the host country and settling in; (d) supporting the employer (and covering salary costs) for the first two weeks of on-the-job training, and; (e) establishing systems for payroll deductions and remittances to cover some program costs as well as transfers back to families. The objective is to enhance these jobseekers in the eyes of GCC employers and inform the development of efficient systems for managed labor migration to GCC countries. The project will also aim to include mechanisms to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the participants while working abroad. The proposed pilot will finance activities to help approximately 2,000 participants.

Component 2: CONNECTING WITH EMPLOYMENT DOMESTICALLY (CED) Pilot: The biggest challenge for young job applicants with a reasonable level of appropriate skills (notably literacy and numeracy), as identified by employers, is a lack of soft skills and workplace awareness, including knowledge of workplace culture and employer expectations. Often this is as a result of a lack of work experience, and it is exacerbated by a lack of any understanding of how to find and communicate with potential employers. This component will target beneficiaries between 18 and 29 years of age who have completed high school. The pilot aims: (a) to assist as many jobseekers as possible to secure good jobs through intensive supported job search, and (b) for those who cannot access employment given personalized job search support, provide private sector internships to enhance employability through supported work experience. The pilot will ensure parity of outcomes for women and men, providing additional support as required for any female jobseekers. The proposed pilot will finance activities to help approximately 2,400 youth (50% male and 50% female) during the two and a half years of implementation.

Component 3: Integrated capacity building: This component will aim at strengthening the capacity and performance of MoLSA in delivering the PLACED pilots, and eventually contracting and managing national employment programs, through an innovative program of technical assistance. In particular, a team recruited with support under this component within MoLSA will undertake procurement, implementation, and contract/performance management, including monitoring and evaluation activities. A capacity-building program will be launched, with each stage of the pilot programs preceded by technical assistance workshops equipping the MoLSA team with the required knowledge and skills. The personnel initially recruited under the PPG are expected to transition to civil service positions requiring similar competencies learned throughout the PPG implementation.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs implements this project under the overall supervision of the Deputy Minister for Labor Affairs (and in his/her absence the Minister). In close cooperation with the Director of Labor Market Studies, and under the guidance of the Steering Group, the project is led by the PLACED Project Director. The Project Director is responsible for the effective management of the project’s activities from project procurement through implementation to delivery, including establishing and leading the team, relationship management within the Ministry and beyond, and then gathering and using learning to inform the development of future organizational and system-wide strategy.

Job Summary

I.        Challenges for PLACED GRMs

As noted in the Environmental Social Management Framework ( ESMF), access to GRMs will be a critical risk factor in the implementation of PLACED, in particular for the PLA component. As such, strong GRMs will be necessary in order to mitigate a number of social and environmental risks in PLACED.

This is particularly relevant given the challenges posed not only in terms of accessing GRMs, but in terms of the overall ability to implement them – i.e. the capacity to implement and manage effective GRMs, as well as the need for internal support for correctly implementing these processes.

II.        Existing Institutional Arrangements

The MoLSA currently has no standardized GRM, though it does manage them on a project-basis, often incorporating the preferred GRM system of project donors. The MoLSA does have a broader role in addressing complaints raised or issues identified under the Labour Law as part of which it chairs a tripartite committee intended to resolve such disputes.

As noted in the ESIA, however, capacity on this front is weak due to low numbers of labour inspectors, poor awareness of workers on their rights and ability to submit complaints, and subsequently poor data on the incidence and nature of labour violations. It also has an internal audit capacity, which should be utilized for the purposes of monitoring the performance of the project and its GRMs, though the robustness of this is undetermined and may not be sufficient for this project. Therefore, a comprehensive GRM structure has been proposed for management of overall redresses grievances related to the PLACED-Project and below are the key actors involve in the processing of the grievances:

·      Grievance Redress Unit (GRU) under PLACED project:

 Under PLACED project a well-qualified team established to handle jobseeker’s complaints. This team is responsible for coordination and managing of overall GRM issues of both PLA and CED components of PLACED Project.

·      Third Party Monitoring – Grievance Redress Mechanism (TPM-GRM) firm:

The TPM will be in charge of GRM matters and will playing a key role in collecting, resolving (if possible), categorizing channeling and providing feedback to the complainant. This firm will report to PLACED/MoLSA. 

·      Service Providers (who impalement PLA and CED components):

Service Providers (SP) will be contracted through MoLSA to assist jobseekers from enrolment to job placements and sustained employment. the SP will play a fundamental role in ensuring that beneficiaries have full awareness of the GRM and, if required, know how to gain access to it. This firm will have their own GRM to resolve and redress jobseeker’s grievances.

·      Grievance Redress Committee (GRC):

The committee will review and addresses grievances which will be raised by jobseekers; if they are not able to provide best resolution the secretary of the committee will refer complaint to relevant entity for further resolution.

·      Afghan Institutions in the UAE (Consulate and Embassy):

The Afghan Embassy and Afghan Consulate play an important role in the GRM matters under PLA component of PLACED project. These institutions will work collaboratively with TPM-GRM in the UAE to redress Afghan worker’s grievances.

·      UAE institutions:

The UAE institution such as: Tas’heel and Tawjeeh offices as well as UAE’s labor court play their customary role in resolution of disputes between migrant workers and employers as per the UAE Labor law.

III.        Scope of Work:

Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) represent a core component of managing operational risk. GRMs will be an effective tool for early identification, assessment, and resolution of complaints on project. The GRM officer roles and responsibilities includes:

Under the direct supervision of the Senior GRM Specialist, in close coordination with the Social and Environmental Specialist and overall supervision of General Project Director, the Grievance Redress Officer will carry out the following tasks.

The Grievance Redress Officer shall ensure that the main objectives of the mechanism are implemented such as: (i) the public within the project influence are aware of their rights to access the grievance redress mechanism free of administrative and legal charges; (ii) that these rights and interests are protected from poor project performance, especially of beneficiaries and/or affected persons; and (iii) concerns arising from project performance in all phases are addressed effectively. Specifically, the Grievance Redress Officer shall perform the following duties:

Duties & Responsibilities

• Prepare a work plan for the GRM unit in order to address the complaints and improve the quality of project services for male and female jobseekers, client satisfaction;
• Develop the GRM implementation manual, including the GRM’s policies and procedures; translate the manual into Dari and Pashtu languages and ensure its availability at Kabul and provincial level;
• Organize the required training for the project staff and Provincial Focal Points, including Grievance Redress Committees (GRCs) at the ministry levels;
• Establish and maintain continuous communication procedures between the Unit and the UAE and Provincial Focal Points to address the complaints and comments received through the digital phone, mobile, email, fax, radio and other means of communication;
• Establish a proper feedback system for the complaints;
• Establish effective reporting systems, recording and registering of complaints and use of the data for PLACED Project future planning;
• Ensure that the information entered in the GRM system is accurate;
• Ensure the privacy of information and maintain fairness in the information collection process and transfer of information;
• Supervise and ensure quality analysis of the jobseekers grievances and provide timely written instruction/feedback for addressing the grievances;
• Support the Unit in requesting meetings with high-level Ministry officials – if needed – to resolve complex issues;
• Provide monthly, quarterly and annual reports to the Project team, each with a specific section detailing how women, in particular, are using the systems developed, and what challenges they are facing;
• Ensure the grievance related data is available in PLACED Project Electronic Management of Information System (EMIS);
• Carry out field visits in local and Provincial level when facing with challenges;
• Register all affected people in the GRM database in the target areas through broad consultation with community, to provide a detailed info of the project affected people for resolving their grievances;
• Take part in the social screening and development of ESMPs and monitor the effectiveness of the GRCs;
• Perform other tasks as directed by the PLACED General Project Director or his/her immediate supervisor

Job Requirements

Preferably at least a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent with 4 years working experience, but exceptions may be made for candidates with relevant experience and outstanding academic backgrounds with very strong applications and outstanding interviews

a.      Good-level written and spoken English;

b.      A demonstrable interest in programs or services that help people who are socially excluded or disadvantaged;

c.       Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence behavior;

d.      A willingness to roll up your sleeves and make things happen;

e.      Exceptional intelligence;

f.        The ability to think both creatively and analytically;

g.      An eye for detail and desire to deliver beyond expectations.

Submission Guideline

The selection process for these unusual positions is going to be unusually rigorous. Only the best need apply! We expect at least half of our project team to be female (like at least half of our employment outcomes).

Interested candidates should submit their applications, in writing, to Placing Labor Abroad and Connecting to Employment Domestically (PLACED), Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs located in first Macroryan, Kabul, or e-mail their application (indicating in the subject line the VA number and the title of the post applied for) to: Mohammad Haroon Sherzai placed.sherzai@gmail.com and Hameedullah Dawoodzai hameed_tophan@yahoo.com 

Functional Area

Compliance

Countries

Submission Email

hameed_tophan@yahoo.com

placed.sherzai@gmail.com

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