Collective bargaining will pose a great challenge in 2005 for the Department of Labour, especially for marginalised small businesses, which are being crushed by big business, according to the Minister Membathisi Mdladlana.
Speaking to labour journalists on achievements in 2004 and the challenges facing his department in 2005, Mdladlana said there was a problem in the collective bargaining process because decisions on salaries and wages were taken without the participation of certain groups.
“Trade unions and big business negotiate while small business is left outside and is faced with the prospects of implementing salaries that they cannot afford and this, in essence, crushes small business,” he noted.
Mdladlana said that while unions are represented in the collective bargaining process, the numbers showed that their representivity was dwindling.
He said this was testament to the number of labour disputes cases, which were largely due to pay, at the labour courts and the Commission for Conciliatory, Mediation and Arbitration.
“There are advantages and disadvantages in collective bargaining. It is very tough dealing with unions because sometimes one is forced to play rough and at times pray.”
He said: “I am currently pushing the people working in the collective bargaining process to give me a report on how they are working with small business.”
The minister remained satisfied that the South African labour market is peaceful and stable although there were a number of strikes experienced this year.
On employment equity, Mdladlana admitted that his department is experiencing difficulty in following cases where some companies are “cheating”.
“We are training some people to be able to analyse these glossy reports from companies. We want to find a mechanism to catch those who are cheating on equity reports.”
He said that 486 cases regarding employment equity compliance and 198 cases regarding Occupational Health Safety had been referred to the labour court this year.
“The unfortunate thing is that there is very little we can do to push the courts to speed up these cases. We hope that the courts will look at these cases favourably.”
He said that his department would work seriously next year to monitor employment equity compliance. He said that 125Â 759 labour inspections were conducted in 2004.
“Compliance has increased because many employers don’t want to be visited by our inspectors,” he said.
The minister, however, said that he was concerned about the scarcity of skills in South Africa.
“I am very excited with the development between the Education Department and the Department of Labour on national education skills. We are moving at a very fast pace.”
Mdladlana played down media reports that he did not see eye-to-eye with the Minister of Education Naledi Pandour.
“Those who are saying we can’t work together are wasting their time because we are not fighting. Pandour’s husband is my best friend and if I fight his wife, it would then mean that I don’t have a friend anymore.”
Addressing the issue of Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas), which have been criticised for not being effective, he said that he has given the Setas an instruction to identify the most important skills that are in short supply.
“I have told the Seta’s to come up with a master plan so that they can use all the skills development money, which is sitting in the National Education Skills Fund,” the Minister added.
“It is wrong that there are no apprenticeships, because this year alone Setas produced 20Â 000 and we are happy that employers are buying in to the training projects. We are also assisting the national schools skills by giving them money but specifically identifying scarce skills.”
Mdladlana said that Setas have collectively exceeded the 80Â 000 learnership targets set for March 2005.
He said Setas had recorded a total of 82Â 425 learners below the age of 35 in learnerships and apprenticeships by the end of October 2004, despite some teething problems in the first four years of their existence.
He also called upon all Setas to engage with tertiary institutions, as they were strategic partners in achieving learnership goals.
“Their reach and penetration can enable expanded access to the benefits of the skills development strategy. I am also delighted that the National Skills Authority (NSA), in its National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) draft of 2005 to 2010 has seriously considered the importance of positioning service providers to deliver quality and relevant learning programmes.
“As we approach the end of the first NSDS in March 2005, there is a need to accelerate the planning and ensure that the sector skills plans incorporate the new objectives as contained in the draft.” – I-Net Bridge