By Simon Nare
Labour federations have hailed the late Tito Mboweni for the role he played in ensuring that workers rights were recognised while he was South Africa’s first labour minister.
Workers were forever indebted to Mboweni for all the rights young workers took for granted today, SA Federation of Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Sunday.
He said that Mboweni would always have a special place in the hearts of the millions of South African workers as he was the pioneer of the current labour market regime.
“He understood the commitments made by the Bill of Rights in our Constitution, which enshrined workers’ rights such as the right to belong to and establish unions, the right to collective bargaining with employers, the right to strike when disputes cannot be resolved through negotiations, and the right to negotiate union security agreements… ,” Vavi said in a statement.
“No constitution in the world protects these rights as the South African Constitution.”
The Congress of SA Trade Unions said that despite its robust engagements and disagreements with Mboweni when he headed up the SA Reserve Bank and the Treasury, it respected and appreciated the historic role he played as labour minister.
“He was a founding father to Nedlac (National Economic Development and Labour Council), our statutory social dialogue forum where government, labour and business have been able to craft wide ranging solutions and interventions to many of society’s formidable socio-economic challenges, in particular those affecting the working class,” said Cosatu parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks.
He said Mboweni was part of the generation of leaders who showed that one could occupy the highest echelons of power and not fall prey to the temptation to loot.
“Mboweni was forthright in his views and where he agreed, he would acknowledge, and where he disagreed, he would be honest and say why. He relished a debate and was keen to play his role as an elder statesman in a society battling to find its place,” Parks said.
The Democratic Alliance agreed with labour that Mboweni was an upstanding individual.
“Dr Mboweni was a steadfast opponent of corruption and consistently championed fiscal responsibility,” said DA national spokesperson Karabo Khakhai.
‘He worked tirelessly to steer the economy toward growth while mitigating the impact of rising debt levels. He will be remembered as a patriot who stood for what was right, even in challenging times, and as a humble and principled man at heart.”
Mboweni drove the introduction of the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, amendments to the Mines Health Safety Act, the Occupational Safety Act, and the Employment Equity Act.
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