NEDLAC IN FINAL ROUNDS OF EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS NEGOTIATIONS

1 August 1996

Nedlac's Management Committee has approved an agenda which could see negotiations around employment standards settled within the next few weeks.

Nedlac Executive Director Jayendra Naidoo says the final phase of negotiations will include:

• Government circulating a revised draft bill to negotiating teams by Monday, August 5. Business and labour will then have 14 days to consider the draft and submit their responses.
• Recording areas of consensus and disagreement at a further negotiating session. "The Labour Market Chamber convenors and the overall Nedlac convenors have been mandated to finalise the draft bill and, if necessary, a special session of the Management Committee will be called," Naidoo says.

"We are hoping that this agenda could be completed within the next three weeks, in good time to allow Parliament to consider the bill before it goes into recess. The additional time will also allow the negotiating parties to thoroughly consider the final draft of the bill."

Despite this brief delay the negotiations, which began at the end of April, have maintained a good momentum, considering the range of issues to be discussed and the diverse opinions held by the business and labour constituencies, Naidoo says. "We fully expect that Nedlac's consideration of the employment standards bill will be finalised within the next few weeks."

Key issues around which discussions are taking place include:

• Working time.
• Maternity leave and leave to execute parental responsibilities.
• Mechanisms and limits for various employment standards.

Nedlac's consideration of a new employment standards era began with the tabling of a green paper by government, and receiving responses from business and labour.

Subsequently, a draft bill was presented to the constituencies by government for consideration, and it is this document which has been the focus of the current round of negotiations.