The Select Committee on Labour and Public Enterprise met today (Wed) in parliament with focused presentations being made on Decent Work. Two presentations were delivered to the Committee by the Department of Labour. The presentations sought to address the International Labour Organisation (ILO’s) decent work programme and the role of cooperatives in addressing unemployment and un-employability of the South African work-force.
Speaking on behalf of the department, Mr. Ian Macun, Director for Collective Bargaining, presented an overview of the Decent Work Programme. The programme, underpinned by the theme, “to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity”, is conceptualized on the premise that work is not only a source of income, but a source of dignity, family, stability and economic growth.
Further outlining the Decent Work Agenda, Macun outlined the four strategic pillars of decent work, which includes, i) the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work; ii) promotion of employment and income opportunities; iii) expansion and improvement of social protection cover; and iv) promotion of social dialogue and tripartism.
The Decent Work Agenda, implemented through the Decent Work Country Programme is the main vehicle for the delivery of the ILO support to its member states. In terms of monitoring progress being made towards decent work in South Africa, some interesting facts were presented to the committee, which included that 34% of non-agricultural workers earned less than two-thirds of the median monthly earnings (with the median currently figured at R3 000 per month), 24% of workers work more than 48-hours a week, thirdly, women are responsible for 57% of hours spent on work, however, there is a gender wage gap of 30%.
“One of the data weaknesses presented related to safe work environment. The department noted that the collection and assimilation of data is one of the areas signaled for improvement, especially as safe working environments have been highlighted earlier this year as an area that needs more attention.
Mr. Sam Morotoba, Deputy Director General of the Department’s Public Employment Services (PES) unit, presented Labour’s cooperative support initiative. Co-operatives are defined as autonomous associations of persons united voluntarily to meet the economic, social and cultural needs through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
To date, cooperatives have a proven record of creating and sustaining employment, they provide over 100-million jobs globally; they advance the ILO’s Global Employment Agenda and contribute to promoting decent work.
It is the department’s vision that cooperatives can contribute towards poverty reduction in South Africa in general, create employment, especially for young people, and contribute to the country’s mid-term development goals.
The department’s Worker Cooperative Support Strategy seeks to address information and technical support, legislative and regulatory support, harness inter-governmental and non-governmental support, worker cooperative working capital support and knowledge production and diffusion.
Future interventions on cooperatives will look at improving networks and partnerships with a series of funding and training organisations involved in cooperatives, establishing methods of implementing Labour’s research outcomes on cooperatives and also the piloting of cooperative concepts in some of the employment schemes.
Enquiries:
Page Boikanyo, Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 809 3195
For more details:
Candice van Reenen
Cell: 083 243 3353
