Workers' Day celebrations
1 May 2007
Programme Director
Presidents of National Council of Trade Unions (NACTU) and Federation of Unions
of South Africa (FEDUSA)
General Secretaries
Ladies and gentlemen
Comrades
Worker's Day, 1 May, represents a major milestone in our struggle for
freedom and democracy. It celebrates not only the victories in our struggle for
improved working conditions but also serves as a beacon of hope that never
again will these basic rights be rolled back. It serves as a beacon of hope not
only for those who share in the fruits of our struggle, fought over a 100 years
ago, but also for those of our countrymen and women who are yet to enjoy these
basic rights. We therefore cannot afford to celebrate this Workers' Day like
any other holiday. We cannot celebrate it like any other public holiday if we
remember the tragic loss of workers lives in 2003, when 51 workers from across
the Free State province drowned in Bethlehem. Let us take this moment to
therefore honour our fallen heroes and heroines.
In 1994 we inherited a world of work based on economic deprivation,
adversarial labour relations and the denial of worker rights, a cheap and
migrant labour system, massive income and wealth disparities, systematic
discrimination against black people, women and other groups and high
unemployment levels. This legacy did not vanish into thin air when we took over
the reins of government. Even today it continues to weigh heavily on the
working lives of our people.
But despite this distorted labour market framework that we inherited when we
assumed office in 1994, we have been successful in delivering on our promise of
a new labour dispensation that not only entrenches the rights of those denied
to them for so many decades but laid the foundation for sustainable economic
growth. We have made significant progress in ensuring that our labour market
policies promoted economic growth, employment absorption, sound and stable
labour relations, the elimination of workplace inequality and discrimination
and ensure the development of skills.
In 2006 together with our social partners, we held roundtable discussions in
order to deal with the debate around the duality of our labour market and the
need for flexibility in our labour regime. These discussions confirmed what I
have always said. It confirmed that the fundamentals that underpin the
legislative regime are sound. It provided unequivocal support for our position
that our legislation is not up for massive amendments. What it did indicate was
that our legislation is geared towards the achievement of the goals set by the
Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA). We accept
that in order to fine tune our legislation it is necessary to tweak it in order
to remove some of the administrative burdens for small business, this will be
done in the context of social dialogue that we have established in the
country.
Our successes in effecting a new labour market dispensation have been
underpinned by our successes in building social partnership despite often
divergent views on our labour market policies. We have succeeded through an
ongoing process of consultation and negotiation with our social partners in
reaching substantial national consensus on legislation and other measures.
I, however, continue to be concerned about the increase in the frequency of
workplace accidents. It should be very clear that our position as government is
that 'one life lost in the workplace is one too many'. Workers and employers
alike should clearly understand that we have the right to life, human dignity,
equality, freedom of expression, association and also freedom to an environment
that is not harmful to our health and well being. These are constitutional
guarantees that are not negotiable. My inspectors in the past month closed our
labour centre in Nelspruit precisely because we believe that nobody is above
the law. This action by our inspectors was clearly not an attempt to show the
world that our legislation is sound but that it reflects our resolve that the
gains that workers made in their fight for better working conditions should not
be rolled back, that all workers have the right to an environment that is not
harmful to their health and well-being.
I want to also reaffirm our resolve that the employment equity is here to
stay! It will stay until we have eradicated those unfair and abusive labour
practices that relegate our mothers and young women in the remotest areas of
our country to invisibility. It will remain not only to address these
discriminatory practices that still exist today but chiefly because it makes
business sense. It makes business sense to escalate the achievement of
employment equity targets to the chief executive officers (CEOs) and squarely
into their business strategies and away from the ambit of middle management in
order to give it the prominence that it deserves. It will also remain because
it fits in the achievement of the goals set by AsgiSA, to ensure that growth is
shared. I have also recently cancelled old existing wage determinations in
order to bring those workers under the protection of our Basic Conditions of
Employment Act. I will also in the future announce a new minimum wage for
workers in the hospitality sector.
This government will therefore continue to spread this beacon of hope to
those that have not experienced the protection gained by the valiant struggle
of workers almost 100 years ago. But again it is not only about extending the
net of protection, it is about creating a labour regime that seeks to address
the demands of industry, it is about a regime that responds positively to the
requirements of job creation and poverty eradication.
As we celebrate this Workers Day it is important that we reflect on how we
have extended this beacon of hope. It is important that we reflect on how best
we have contributed to job creation and poverty eradication. It is very clear
that there is still a long way towards achieving the objectives that we have
set both in Kliptown as well as in our government plan of action. But it is
also very clear that we are extending this beacon of hope step by step to all
the workers in the country.
The freedoms that we enjoy today resulted from attempts by government and
its social partners to ensure the realisation of all our ambitions and I would
therefore like to remind our fellow countrymen and women that as we celebrate,
we should pause to spare a thought for those who are yet to enjoy these basic
conditions.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Labour
1 May 2007
