Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant has implored organised business and labour to stick within the framework of the law and established structures of collective bargaining as the wage negotiation ‘season’ gets into full swing.
Oliphant said in cases of a deadlock the Department of Labour (DoL) through the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) would avail itself to mediate to resolve disputes without parties resorting to violence.
The Minister told The New Age (TNA) Business Briefing held at the Sandton Convention Centre today (June 24) that centralised collective bargaining still remain the best option to resolve labour disputes.
Oliphant was addressing the forum to clarify the work the Department of Labour is doing to bring stability to the labour relations environment in South Africa and also deal with a myriad of labour-related matters.
She said despite the somewhat volatile labour market, South Africa remains, despite and in spite what doomsayers say, a prime spot for investment.
“Our country is still steeped in the art of negotiation and dispute resolution and for this reason, the Department of Labour in concert with other affected departments, has engaged organised labour and organised business in concluding a peace and stability framework for the mining sector, amongst are things. Talks are also continuing about the character of a new centralised bargaining arrangement in the platinum sector.
“In response to the myriad of challenges, we think it is prudent to host a labour relations Indaba where all stakeholders and role-players will talk about the future of collective bargaining and social dialogue. The department is working closely with NEDLAC and the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration to ensure that from the ashes of Marikana and other hotspots, a nation united in the view of how it wants to deal with challenges of industrial relations will rise,” she said.
The Minister has started engaging the leadership of the Labour movement to discuss the adversarial nature of the country’s industrial relations. A few weeks ago, the department met with Cosatu, Nactu, NUM and AMCU.
Oliphant reiterated that international investors from countries like Japan are positive and they want to know more about the possibility of investing in our country.
Department of Labour Director-General Nkosinathi Nhleko said the recent flair-ups in the labour market, “should not define the nature of collective bargaining in South Africa. By and large South Africa has an excellent and peaceful culture of collective bargaining. The recent flare ups do not mean the culture of labour relations is now adversarial”.
Les Kettledas, Deputy Director-General of Labour Policy & Industrial Relations said the lack of leadership at factory floor level was contributing to the manifestation of an adversarial relationship in the labour market.
Kettledas called for more engagement and information sharing between social parties to maintain a sound labour relations environment.
Meanwhile, responding to the recent problems that have beset the Compensation Fund, a public entity of the department responsible for payment due to occupational injuries, Oliphant said interventions have already begun in earnest and visible results should be expected over the next six months.
Oliphant also told the Business Briefing that as part of an effort to play a role in job creation the Department of Labour in partnership with the Department of Higher Education was in a process of embarking on a youth training programme that will see 3000 young people being trained and placed in job opportunities. She said some of the trained youths would be absorbed within DoL.
“We encourage young people to form cooperatives and start small businesses. There is an infrastructure programme being rolled out by government that has started, and through the initiatives, we hope to absorb young people,” she said.
Turning to the burning issue of labour broking, Oliphant said as long as there was subcontracting and contracting in general labour broking would exist. She said under the circumstances regulating would be the best option.
For more information contact:
Musa Zondi, MLO: Minister of Labour
Tel: 012 392 9625
Fax: 012 320 1942
Cape Town
Tel: 021 466 7167
Fax: 021 462 2832
E-mail: musa.zondi@labour.gov.za
Cell: 082 901 8081
