GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT SET FOR 7 JUNE

Nedlac's Management Committee agreed at its April meeting that the Growth and Development Summit will be postponed to 7 June in order to give the four constituencies of business, labour, government and community more time to exchange views on their position papers and identify areas of agreement.

Government tabled its position paper on the Summit, and Labour tabled an initial paper on employment creation and investment. Business and Community indicated that they would table position papers shortly.

The constituencies will now study each other's position papers, and begin a series of meetings to negotiate areas of focused agreements. All the constituencies emphasised their willingness to commit time and energy to this process, in order to come up with some practical measures with timeframes attached. Employment creation, particularly in relation to youth, was already emerging as a major focus of attention.

The logistical arrangements for the Summit will be handled by the Department of Labour. Readers should keep an eye on the Nedlac website: www.nedlac.org.za, where the position papers of the constituencies will be posted as they are received. Any other updates will also be made available on the website.