FRIDAY, 11.30AM
BUSINESS SA, in a meeting with Labour Minister Tito Mboweni on Thursday, suggested that negotiations on the Basic Conditions of Employment Bill in the National Economic, Development and Labour Council be postponed until after October’s presidential jobs summit.
The suggestion comes as BSA tries to break a deadlock between business and the Congress of SA Trade Unions over the Bill. Cosatu, after calling a partially successful national strike on Monday, has given BSA a 14-day ultimatum to meet its demands overe the bill.
Cosatu on Thursday rejected the BSA suggestion, saying business is only interested in blocking transformation of the labour market. Cosatu representative Nowetu Mpati said: “Business has in the past shown that they have no interest in the new law … They would prefer the status quo to remain indefinitely. On areas like Sunday work they want to roll back even the apartheid laws.”
Analysts speculated after the BSA/Mboweni meeting that business has deliberately linked the Bill to the jobs summit to highlight contradictions between the two. Business contends the Bill will lead to an increase in labour costs and thus a loss of jobs.