11 May 2006
In response to a clarion call by his Excellency President Thabo Mbeki,
Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana has congregated participants from
government, organised labour, the business fraternity and community in Kempton
Park, Johannesburg in an attempt to reach consensus on the hotly debated issue
of labour market flexibility.
The highlights of this roundtable discussion include the impact of labour
laws on job creation and small business development in the country.
It is also a follow-up to the January 2005 Cabinet Lekgotla in which
government decided to do a comprehensive review to research labour laws,
sector-specific regulations, municipal regulations and bye-laws, tax laws and
administration.
âArising from these papers, Cabinet decided that we should deal with the
question of the extent to which our labour market is impending or hindering
small business development and governmentâs overall object of job
creation.â
âThe concern for a balanced flexibility and security in the labour market
has led to considerable efforts to take into account the needs of small
business during the formulation of labour policies,â he said.
âAt the conclusion of this process, the outcome would need to be tabled at
the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and then back to
Cabinet,â he said.
Among other participants on these discussions are the Congress of South
African Trade Unions (Cosatu)âs Zwelinzima Vavi, Vic van Vuuren from Business
Unit South Africa (BUSA), and academics Eddie Webster and Patrick Deale.
Enquiries:
Mokgadi Pela
Cell: 082 808 2168
Issued by: Department of Labour
11 May 2006
