Town
31 March 2007
A workshop between Government and Labour met in Tuynhuys, Cape Town on 30 to
31 March 2007 [1]. The workshop followed an agreement in the last meeting of
the Presidential Working Group on Labour which determined that there was a need
for a more detailed discussion on some of the key challenges facing the economy
and the trade union movement.
The meeting discussed the global political economy. Government and Labour
made inputs on the impact of the global economy on South Africa and the
developing economies in general.
The implications for the labour market, work organisation and trade union
organisation were analysed. There was a high degree of convergence in the
analysis provided by Government and Labour. As a result the meeting sought to
explore areas of co-operation aimed at forging a strategic partnership to
better address the challenge of poverty, inequality, the promotion of decent
work, the challenge of reducing unemployment by half in 2014 and growing the
economy to ensure we have the basis for achieving these objectives.
The meeting resolved to set up a joint task team to conduct a detailed
analysis of how to respond to the issues discussed at the workshop. The task
team will report to the next working group meeting.
Both government and labour are firmly of the view that the meeting covered
essential ground and has the potential to unify all social partners in their
collective and various responses to addressing the challenge of poverty and
economic development.
[1] The workshop was attended by the President, the Deputy President, the
Ministers of Finance, Public Enterprises, Agriculture, and Safety and Security
and the Deputy Ministers of Trade and Industry and several senior government
officials, the presidents and general secretaries of Congress of South Africa
Trade Union (COSATU), National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU), and Federation
of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA), and several other senior trade union office
bearers and senior officials.
Enquiries:
Mukoni Ratshitanga
Cell: 082 300 3447
Terrence Manase
Tel: (012) 300 5321
Fax: 086 683 5296
Cell: 082 338 6707
Issued by: The Presidency
31 March 2007
