CHAMBER BRIEFS

PUBLIC FINANCE AND MONETARY POLICY CHAMBER

Government has tabled the Pension Funds Second Amendment Bill, 2000, which deals with the surplus on pension funds issue. The Chamber will be resuming negotiations on this issue in February.

Other issues which the chamber has agreed to prioritise inc:

• A summit in the financial sector, which will concentrate on issues such as co-operative banking, access to credit, and the cost of credit,

• The budget, and budget reform process

• Tax policy reform

DEVELOPMENT CHAMBER

Cotonou agreement

Last year, a new co-operation agreement was signed between the European Union, and the grouping of former colonies, now called the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries. The agreement, previously known as the Lome agreement, is now called the Cotonou Agreement. A new element has been brought in under this new agreement, which concerns civil society co-operation. The Development Chamber has been working on the issue of how to organise and capacitate civil society to be able to fulfil the requirements of the Cotonou agreement. It is working towards a civil society summit later this year. Regional civil society groupings are also being brought into the process.

Other issues

The chamber will continue to work on social security, education, housing, transport and HIV/AIDS

LABOUR MARKET CHAMBER

Labour Law Amendments

The Nedlac Act requires that all amendments to Labour Legislation must come through Nedlac. Government tabled its proposed amendments to the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act and Insolvency Act in August last year. After an initial process in the chamber, it was agreed that a one-a-side committee would be formed to take the process further. In the meantime, the constituencies have been engaged in bilaterals. Business and labour have been meeting under the auspices of the Millennium Labour Council, and government has also been meeting bilaterally with the parties.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY CHAMBER

Apart from the issues detailed in other stories in this issue, the chamber will also continue to monitor the work of Fridge, the Fund for Research into Industrial Development, Growth and Equity. Studies that are currently underway inc:

• The South African jewellery industry

• The impact of the SA-EU trade agreement

• Wool and mohair

• Footwear

• Silicon high technology

• The Chamber will also be dealing with the draft Minerals Development Bill.