Department of Labour hosts stakeholder engagement with Manufacturing Sector on the imperatives of employment equity (EE) implementation
Following the recent successful interaction with the Retail & Motor sector the Department of Labour and the Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) is to host yet another in a series of engagements on matters of employment equity (EE) this week with the Manufacturing Sector.
The engagements are held with business leaders from the various sectors. This follows the continued slow pace of transforming the South African labour market, where designated groups are still confined to the lower levels in the workplace.
During the launch of the 16th CEE Annual Report, Labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant promised that the Commission for Employment Equity will embark on engagements with business leaders of the various sectors to establish what causes the snail pace of transforming the workplaces.
The engagement with the Manufacturing Sector will be held tomorrow (14 July 2016) from 09:00am-13:00 at St Georges Hotel in Irene. A presentation will be made providing an analysis of workforce profile for the sector at various layers, including the demographic representation; the workforce movement (recruitment, promotions and terminations) in the sector; and matters on skills development.
The aim of the sectoral engagements is to consult business leaders or their representatives (managers, human resource officers, EE officers among others) on employment equity issues. The CEE is interested in establishing challenges that employers face in employment equity implementation and strategies so as to overcome them.
The Commission for Employment Equity is a statutory body established in terms of section 28 of the Employment Equity Act. Its role is to advise Labour Minister on any matter concerning the Act, including policy and matters pertaining to the implementation of the EE Act.
The 16th CEE Annual Report found that after 18 years since the enactment of the Employment Equity Act, the top and senior management positions in the workplace are largely still occupied by white people.
The first in a series of engagements was held on 23 June 2016 with the Retail & Motor sector at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Boksburg, in Gauteng Province.
More engagements are planned to be held later this month until September 2016 with sectors such as Finance, Catering & Accommodation, Mining & Quarrying, Wholesale, Construction, Transport, Educational Institutions and Local Government.
All engagements will include Sector Education & Training Authority (SETA) and trade unions operating in that particular sector. All the planned engagements will be held in Gauteng with the exception of one that will be held on 04 August 2016 in Cape Town. Venues of the other engagements will be confirmed in due course.
Enquiries:
Mokgadi Pela
Cell: 082 808 2168
