By Alicia Mmashakana
Government collaborating with unions is important in shaping equitable policies and effectively enforcing labour regulations, according to Employment and Labour Department Minister Nomakhosazana Meth.
“The role of unions in a free South Africa has been a testament to the indomitable will of the South African people. The growth, strength and influence of unions plays an indispensable role in advocating for workers’ rights and ensuring that the economic gains of our country are shared amongst all its people,” she said.
Meth was addressing the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) annual Organised Labour School in Pretoria on Wednesday. The theme was “Building Trade Union Activism for Better Wages and Working Conditions”.
She said Nedlac, which comprises members from the government, business, labour and civil society, remained the country’s statutory social dialogue forum and was essential for forging a balanced consensus on labour and socio-economic legislation.
“We will continue to defend and elevate Nedlac’s role in ensuring that government departments comply with the requirement to table all labour-related Bills there.
“It is also vital that Parliament allows Nedlac engagements to unfold thoroughly before finalising legislative processes preserving the spirit of inclusive policymaking that underpins South Africa’s democracy,” the minister said.
Meth spoke about the country’s stubbornly high unemployment rate, especially amongst the youth. She warned of the possibilities of a “lost generation”, whose long-term career prospects were permanently curtailed.
Since being reconfigured in 2019, the department not only focuses on labour issues, but is expected to actively help drive employment creation.
She said its mandate rested on three core pillars, including harmonising and coordinating multi-departmental initiatives to maximise impact, and leveraging data-driven insights to shape policy decisions and anticipate future skill requirements.
The third pillar was streamlining job creation projects and fostering partnerships across government, the private sector and civil society.
In October last year, Meth announced that the department would increase the number of labour inspectors from 2000 to 20,000. They play an important role in ensuring that companies stick to the labour laws and help the department achieve its mandate.
Meth emphasised on Wednesday how crucial it was for the government and organised labour to work together to ensure that every policy, programme and partnership they pursued brought the economy closer to “dignified and productive work available to all”.
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