By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that despite Africans constituting the majority in the country, they are still dominated by white people in top management positions.
Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter on Monday that black South Africans were predominantly in the semi-skilled and unskilled categories.
“While there has been much improvement since the advent of employment equity legislation, it is clear that not enough has been done to change the racial composition of the ownership, control and management of our economy.
”We call on business in particular to take the necessary measures to ensure that their workplaces reflect both the letter and spirit of laws such as the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act and Occupational Health and Safety Act,” he wrote.
The president said companies should go beyond compliance by actively fostering diversity and inclusion by addressing historical inequalities and create opportunities for under-represented groups among their workers, such as women, the youth and persons with disabilities.
“They should also ensure that their workplaces are spaces where dignity, respect and human rights are upheld in daily practice and not just in policies,” he said.
Ramaphosa said that since the advent of democracy in 1994, the government has observed Workers’ Day and acknowledged the historical role of employees and the labour movement in the broader struggle for freedom.
He said the country has sought to break from the apartheid past where workers laboured under oppressive conditions to grow the profits of companies without receiving even the most basic benefits.
He added that these included measures to advance worker ownership in companies.
The president wrote that the country was deliberate in efforts to protect the rights of women workers. The Employment Equity Act prohibited unfair discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, pregnancy and marital status.
“Female workers are guaranteed specific entitlements such as maternity and family responsibility leave, and we have laws that safeguard against sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the workplace.
“At a time of constrained economic growth and high unemployment, we have seen calls from some people, including political parties, for our country’s labour laws to be ‘relaxed’ in response to the prevailing economic climate,” he wrote.
The Democratic Alliance announced last week that it was heading to court over employment equity regulations. Solidarity is also considering court action.
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