OPENING ADDRESS BY ZUMA AT THE 2004 NEDLAC ANNUAL SUMMIT

Issued by: Office of the Presidency

Johannesburg, 02 October 2004

Cabinet Ministers present
The Executive Director of Nedlac, Mr. Herbert Mkhize
Representatives of our social partners
Distinguished guests
Delegates, friends and comrades
Programme Director
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am greatly honoured once again by the privilege to interact with all of you on this occasion of the 2004 Annual Summit of Nedlac, which coincides with the ten-year celebration of our democracy.

Indeed as we celebrate the benefits of social dialogue and the 10 years of democracy and freedom in South Africa today, and as we grapple with the issues of delivery on the Growth and Development Summit Agreements, we are obliged to look back and examine how far we have come as a democratic country, particularly as social partners in Nedlac on behalf of our people.

On 26 June 1955 in Kliptown, the Freedom Charter was adopted by the Congress of the People. In it was proclaimed the principle, among others, that "There Shall be Work and Security!"

We further undertook that "All who work shall be free to form trade unions, to elect their officers and to make wage agreements with their employers; The state shall recognise the right and duty of all to work, and to draw full unemployment benefits; Men and women of all races shall receive equal pay for equal work; There shall be a forty-hour working week, a national minimum wage, paid annual leave, and sick leave for all workers, and maternity leave on full pay for all working mothers; Miners, domestic workers, farm workers and civil servants shall have the same rights as all others who work; Child labour, compound labour, the tot system and contract labour shall be abolished".

These are far-reaching undertakings that we made with the conviction that matched the adverse circumstances of the time. At the close of the 1950s, Former President Nelson Mandela observed, in expressing the circumstances that I mention, that "All opportunities for peaceful agitation and struggle have been closed. Africans no longer have the freedom even to stay peacefully in their houses in protest against the oppressive policies of the government".

Thanks to the Congress of the People - The Freedom Charter continued to drive us and guide us with a clear vision of what type of society we wanted to create in democratic South Africa, and it gave us hope in the face of what seemed like insurmountable adversity.

The ideals underpinning this charter transcended generations and remained an inspiration even to all freedom fighters that and peace loving people followed from that era onwards.

In the Ready to Govern document adopted at the May 1992 National Congress, the current ruling party said "We are committed to full participation in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and will adopt and implement ILO conventions and appropriate recommendations. This adherence will form the base for a stable, equitable and effective collective bargaining system. Within its growth and development strategy, it went further to say it will develop active policies in the labour market in order to ensure the following: Employment creation and public works programmes; Fair and equitable employment opportunities, with legislation against discrimination in employment practices; Affirmative action programmes to address racial, gender and rural-urban imbalances; and Training, retraining and human resources development;

Of further importance, we agreed that the current ruling party's "Labour Relations Policy is aimed at fostering industrial peace and the settlement of disputes through: Recognising the rights of free association of workers and their rights to representation in all structures where their interests are affected, especially the extension of these rights to farm and domestic workers; Recognition of the right to strike for workers in all sectors; Maintaining the system of collective bargaining and underpin collective agreements as legally binding on the different parties; Recognition of the right to paid maternity and paternity leave with employment security; The formulation and implementation of a Labour Relations Act which will protect the interests of all workers, including farm, domestic and public service workers; The transformation of the Industrial Court system to enforce the provisions of the Labour Relations legislation; The ratification of ILO conventions and the consequent respect of employer and employee rights and employment codes, as recognised by these conventions".

Again, Ladies and Gentlemen, these were far-reaching undertakings and to pessimists these noble ideals - both in the Freedom Charter and the Ready to Govern policy document - seemed like wishful thinking, pipedreams that could and would never be achieved.

But we persisted and our people's uncompromising longing for emancipation and self determination won the day so that today, ten years into our democracy, we can boldly say that considerable ground has been covered towards the realisation of that dream and the goals we have mentioned. I mention this at length because it's crucial that we do not lose sight of the necessary context against which we should view the progress we have made.

This can only mean, Ladies and Gentlemen, that our work is now moving full steam ahead to dismantle the inherited legacy of apartheid. It's a legacy that ensured the economy was in steep decline and destined to crash. Massive unemployment and abject poverty are some of the key challenges we inherited and that we seek to address, among others, through the social partners in Nedlac.

We therefore wish to reiterate the strong appeal to our social partners, particularly those who are in command of the means to accept the government's challenge of working together to lift not only the economy, but the entire nation from the claws of poverty, underdevelopment and joblessness.

In this regard, the partners in Nedlac should continue to play their respective social roles as they have successfully been playing. Those roles must now extend to the important task of nurturing the First Economy, while due attention is also paid to the challenges of the Second Economy, in which the majority of our citizens make a living.

Of particular challenge in this regard is that what regulates the First Economy tends to impact differently and at times adversely to the Second Economy, given its vulnerability. We therefore need to find a bridging mechanism to allow and nurture the growth of the Second Economy.

For our part, government has promulgated an array of legislation, including the Employment Equity Act and the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, to ensure that historically disadvantaged groups such as black people, women, people with disabilities, people living with HIV and AIDS can begin to play a significant role in the mainstream economy of this country - their country.

We can say with pride today that black people, women and other designated groups have begun to take leadership roles in corporate South Africa, thus to some extent beginning to shape and influence the economic direction of the country.

Compatriots, other strides have been recorded in the continuing fight for a better South Africa. The Minister of Labour tells me, for instance, that as a direct result of the Skills Development Act of 1998 and the subsequent establishment of Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), close to 75 000 young historically unemployed youth have benefited from the learnership programmes set about by the National Skills Development Strategy. It is an important measurable contribution worth congratulating.

We have succeeded to turn around the adversarial relationship between the workers and the employers that characterized the past, through progressive legislative measures, into internationally accepted relations of labour.

Sectoral determinations in vulnerable sectors such as domestic, private security, wholesale and retail and agriculture mean that vulnerable workers now enjoy the full protection of the law. In similar vein, domestic workers and farm workers today enjoy the legislative privileges previously denied to them - which set conditions of employment in these sectors such as working hours, leave days, sick leave, maternity leave, compensation and occupational health.

I must also express my delight, comrades and friends, that the recent apparent difficulties between the Department of Public Service and Administration and the Public Service Unions have been resolved, as representatives of these two important partners signed an amicable agreement this week.

Again this demonstrates the true spirit of patriotism and the recognition that we all share a common national destiny as workers, government and public service and that therefore our challenges should be met with a strong common purpose of a better life for all.

We will continue to maintain a broad consultation with all relevant stakeholders such as business, organized labour and community constituencies for every challenge that we face.

We remain steadfast as government in our conviction about delivery, transparency, accountability and a broadened process of participation and the role of NEDLAC as a key player in the current social and economic situation.

We do not share the view that Nedlac is just a talk-shop, but are firmly committed to the objectives of Nedlac and the Growth and Development Summit agreement.

I have therefore no doubt in my mind that NEDLAC will continue to play a significant role in promoting social dialogue and creating a platform for consultation on major policy issues; however, personally I am not certain whether we have all as partners in Nedlac utilized this institution maximally as expected, given its broad representation of the sectors.

As a key partner in this historical Growth and Development Summit Agreement of 2003, government remains steadfastly committed to its implementation and we are more than convinced that the GDSA will see our country move on a higher growth trajectory coupled with the reduction of unemployment and eradication of poverty.

In the past few weeks, we launched the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) at provincial level to ensure that change and improvement of people's lives reach the remotest parts of the country.

I am reliably informed by the main drivers behind the programme in the Department of Public Works and the Department of Labour that the programme is beginning to take shape and is making an impact on the lives of ordinary people. Though not sufficient enough, we are nevertheless proud of these achievements

In the last NEDLAC Annual Summit I indicated that, "… when the annals of our history are written, I think that the first ten years of our democracy shall be viewed with a sense of pride and achievement". This statement could not have been truer today. The reality is that there is no country that I know of, which within the first decade of freedom, was able to score such achievements as our country has done.

We will agree that within the first decade we produced a world-class Constitution elaborating the values and critical principles of democracy; succeeded to reconcile forces that had been at war with one another; defeated the demon of racialism; created a culture of interaction and engagement among all sectors of society; declared war against corruption; created a system and culture of transparency; established economic policies relevant to the prevailing conditions of our country; forged unity from diverse communities which had been previously set one against the other; inculcated a culture of patriotism and love of our country and agreed on broader policies to address the national challenges. These, among others, are some of the indicators that characterize the achievements of the first ten years of our democracy.

And it is my considered view that Nedlac as a forum is well placed to take some of these elements forward and enhance them for us to move forward in our quest to create a better life for all in our country.

Programme Director, there are still social and economic challenges to overcome. They include intensifying the EPWP, health programmes including the fight against TB, malaria, HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases; improving both the public and private sector investment performance, enhancing our skills development and a sustainable and growing job-creating economy.

I am certain that these challenges will ring uppermost in the delegates' minds as they deliberate on and resolve the important issues in front of them in this Summit.

I therefore wish you a successful Summit and a positive outcome.

I thank you.