NEDLAC'S ROLE IN CONSIDERING COMPETITION-POLICY PROPOSALS CLARIFIED

1 March 1996

The role Nedlac will play in considering the Ministry of Trade and Industry's expected competition policy proposals was today clarified at a meeting between business, labour and government, facilitated by the Nedlac secretariat.

All parties attending today's meeting committed themselves to serious and substantive discussion on competition policy. Such discussion will focus on reaching consensus on the policies to be adopted, as well as on how these policies will be implemented. The parties did not feel it was necessary to engage in line-by-line negotiations to reach consensus on competition policy, although there would be a need to consider certain specifics in any proposed legislation.

The meeting expressed full confidence in the Nedlac process.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry is already in the process of finalising its proposals on competition policy, whereafter it will obtain a mandate from government. It was agreed that government's proposals will then be tabled in Nedlac and discussed at a special meeting to be attended by senior delegates. A process for considering this document in Nedlac will then be developed, as well as mechanisms for liaising with the parliamentary portfolio committee on trade and industry.

Today's meeting was attended by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Trevor Manuel; business representatives Raymond Parsons, Stef Naudé and Ramano Mashudu; Department of Labour deputy director-general Les Kettledas; labour convenor in the Trade and Industry Chamber Herbert Mkhize; and Nedlac executive director Jayendra Naidoo, who chaired the meeting.