South Africa has taken great strides in promoting gender equity in the labour market, protecting vulnerable workers and creating employment as part of its contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This was said by Nkosinathi Nhleko, the Department of Labour’s new Director-General in his first address to the Portfolio Committee on Labour in Cape Town today, 25 May. Nhleko’s presentation was on the progress made by the country towards attaining the millennium development goals as agreed by heads of states adopted in the Millennium Declaration during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2000.
Nhleko said, the department was charged with the responsibility of focusing on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
“In targeting eight of the MDGs, we have put on energies on protecting vulnerable workers, protecting equity in the workplace and contributing to employment creation, among others,” he said.
Deputy Director-General for Public Employment Services, Sam Morotoba said, “Workers in the agriculture and domestic sectors remain to be the focus of our interventions with the relevant legal framework already in place (sectoral determinations) to regulate minimum employment conditions aimed at protecting vulnerable workers. We have consistently embarked on intensified inspection campaigns over the past three years to ensure compliance in already identified high risk and problematic sectors. Specific programs are also piloted and implemented to increase awareness on health and safety in these sectors”.
In eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, Morotoba said that 81% (more than 400 000) of the registered jobseekers were referred for career guidance, work placement, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Compensation Fund (CF) and skills development.
“Of the 25 449 job opportunities registered country-wide, more than 7 000 work seekers were placed in employment and more than 6 000 assisted through the training lay-off scheme. A total of 40 million rands has been allocated to 19 companies, mainly for those workers that would be trained under the training lay-off scheme. When it comes to gender equity, more than 52 000 women were assisted to access employment services interventions”, he said. “
Deputy Director-General for Labour Market Policy, Les Kettledas said that South Africa has increased the real wages of workers covered by the sectoral determinations over the past ten years, particularly when it comes to wages of domestic and farm workers. ”Overall in South Africa, employment of workers covered by minimum wage legislation grew at a rate of 2,9% a year from nearly 3,5 million in 2001 to just over four million in 2007”, he said.
Kettledas said that there was a move in the right direction with steady progress made towards promoting equity in the labour market.“ At top management levels, women constituted 18.2% in 2008 and 19% in 2010 of all positions at this level. At senior management level, women constituted 28,3% in 2008 and 29,3% in 2010 of all positions at this level.”
“Increasing public sector investments, promoting active private sector involvement and community, non-governmental participation should be scaled up to achieve the MDGs”, Nhleko said.
Enquiries:
Page Boikanyo (Departmental Spokesperson)
Cell: 082 809 3195
Jay Anand
Cell: 084 5076743
Mzobanzi Jikazana (Ministerial Spokesperson)
Cell: 083 641 2355
Source: Department of Labour
