Affirmative-action targets for companies must also be set on lower job levels that are currently almost 100% black, the trade union Solidarity said on Wednesday.
The Employment Equity Commission’s annual report shows that the number of white males on the lower levels declined by 64% to only 1,4%, said the general secretary of Solidarity, Flip Buys.
”If the objective of affirmative action is that the demographics of the population must be reflected in the workforce, then this percentage must be increased to 10%,” he said.
Buys criticised the Employment Equity Commission as well as the minister of labour for their one-sided portrayal of the report.
He said the report only focuses on the higher job levels where affirmative action is not implemented as fast.
”Fact was that huge changes were implemented in lower job levels.”
Buys said the number of whites at operator level fell by 33%.
The report also shows that whites employed as artisans declined by 11% and in the farming and fishing industries the levels of trained whites decreased by 64%, the union said.
”White males employed in the sales field fell with 26%.”
Buys said the sharp decline in the share of whites at the lowest job levels confirms the need to establish a Code of Good Practice.
He said the code must give guidelines to companies on the right implementation of employment equity without discriminating unfairly against employees from the non-designated group.
”If nothing happened, levels of alienation among whites would rise dramatically,” he added.
Accpording to him this would be disadvantageous for everybody in South Africa. — Sapa