On Monday, Libyan Minister of Labour, Ali Al-Abed said that an electronic link system will be launched between Libya and Tunisia to regulate Tunisian labourers entry into the country.
In remarks to Tunisia’s Hakaek Online website, he said that the electronic platform will include job announcements for workers.
Al-Abed confirmed that an employment agreement is set to be signed, noting that the two countries are in talks regarding the terms of this agreement.
He indicated that Tunisia recently sent a draft of the agreement to the Libyan Foreign Ministry, which will be considered by the Libyan government.
“Libya is in need of Tunisian professional expertise, especially in the fields of energy, electricity, and drilling oil wells,” he said. As well as noting Tunisia’s successful experience in vocational training.
Regarding the possibility of establishing a commercial zone near the borders, he said “the idea of the project has existed for some time, but there are problems on the Tunisian side regarding the ownership of land there.”
Last week, Al-Abed announced that an electronic link system was launched between Libya and Egypt to regulate the entry of Egyptian labourers into the country.
In a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Saafan, Al-Abed said that the e-link system also aims to prevent human trafficking and illegal migration to the North African country. “The new mechanism will focus on the prevention of counterfeit, the illegal exploitation of labour importation, and human trafficking in Libya,” he said.
The minister added that Egyptian workers seeking jobs in Libya will only be allowed to travel to the country through the system.
In September, Al-Abed announced the launch of the Wafid portal to regulate the flow of foreign labour into Libya. He added that the portal would help safeguard workers’ rights by documenting the exact number of workers in the country, their places of work, their specialisation, as well as whether they work for companies or individuals.
Violence since the uprising in the oil-rich country has scarred businesses and labour. Efforts to push through with reconstruction continue through the recruitment of workers in neighbouring countries.