It was important to point out that it was not part of the Department of Labour’s brief to introduce policies which crowd-out investments‚ Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant told a business breakfast‚ hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa‚ on Thursday.
She said formal relations between South Africa and American companies had endured for many decades and the US remained one of South Africa’s key trading partners.
“… in the 80’s the US anti-apartheid movement played no small part in support of the popular resistance which sparked a dramatic expansion of international actions to isolate apartheid.” What remained though‚ was to “lean on US companies to contribute meaningfully in the fight for social justice and economic transformation” of the South African society.
“I have no illusion that winning real social and economic transformation of our society remains the toughest of the tasks confronting our nation to date.
She said she was a strong proponent of a stable industrial relations environment as a condition for an all-inclusive development. “The key ingredient though‚ is equitable share of the gains‚ otherwise all our efforts will be in vain.”
“Like the US corporates did in the 80s‚ it is possible that if we work together‚ we can also conquer the war against unemployment‚ poverty and inequality.
“Our labour laws are a delicate balance between not suffocating the economic activity and extending protection to workers in general and vulnerable workers in particular.
“It is not in our interest to introduce labour laws which carry the threat of collapsing companies. It is‚ however‚ not always an easy task to find the delicate balance in the manner that pleases everyone‚ but nevertheless we strive to strike a happy medium in this regard.
“The stubborn challenge of inequality and poverty‚ even among the employed‚ are the biggest threat to labour relations stability.
“It is a fact that workers had high expectations of post-apartheid SA‚ among them‚ the hope for an improved life through a wage they felt should meet the rising costs of their daily life. It is clear that such expectations have not been met.
“Workers continue to struggle financially for a number of reasons and unless these issues are dealt with‚ they will remain a trigger to industrial relations instability.”
“It is also not our business to put in place policies which prevent young people from getting gainful employment. If for any reason‚ these are some of the unintended consequences of our existing laws‚ we need to know about them with proposed corresponding solutions.
“However‚ proposed solutions must not seek to bring back the ugly past as that will be resisted from all and sundry‚ I suspect.”
'All-inclusive development not possible without stable industrial environment'
It was important to point out that it was not part of the Department of Labour’s brief to introduce policies which crowd-out investments‚ Minister of Labour Mildred Oliphant told a business breakfast‚ hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa‚ on Thursday.
She said formal relations between South Africa and American companies had endured for many decades and the US remained one of South Africa’s key trading partners.
“… in the 80’s the US anti-apartheid movement played no small part in support of the popular resistance which sparked a dramatic expansion of international actions to isolate apartheid.” What remained though‚ was to “lean on US companies to contribute meaningfully in the fight for social justice and economic transformation” of the South African society.
“I have no illusion that winning real social and economic transformation of our society remains the toughest of the tasks confronting our nation to date.
She said she was a strong proponent of a stable industrial relations environment as a condition for an all-inclusive development. “The key ingredient though‚ is equitable share of the gains‚ otherwise all our efforts will be in vain.”
“Like the US corporates did in the 80s‚ it is possible that if we work together‚ we can also conquer the war against unemployment‚ poverty and inequality.
“Our labour laws are a delicate balance between not suffocating the economic activity and extending protection to workers in general and vulnerable workers in particular.
“It is not in our interest to introduce labour laws which carry the threat of collapsing companies. It is‚ however‚ not always an easy task to find the delicate balance in the manner that pleases everyone‚ but nevertheless we strive to strike a happy medium in this regard.
“The stubborn challenge of inequality and poverty‚ even among the employed‚ are the biggest threat to labour relations stability.
“It is a fact that workers had high expectations of post-apartheid SA‚ among them‚ the hope for an improved life through a wage they felt should meet the rising costs of their daily life. It is clear that such expectations have not been met.
“Workers continue to struggle financially for a number of reasons and unless these issues are dealt with‚ they will remain a trigger to industrial relations instability.”
“It is also not our business to put in place policies which prevent young people from getting gainful employment. If for any reason‚ these are some of the unintended consequences of our existing laws‚ we need to know about them with proposed corresponding solutions.
“However‚ proposed solutions must not seek to bring back the ugly past as that will be resisted from all and sundry‚ I suspect.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos