NEDLAC GETS R2,5 MILLION FOR WORKERS' EDUCATION ON NEW LABOUR RELATIONS ACT

17 July 1996

Nedlac has received a R2,5-million grant from the African-American Labour Centre for training workers on the new Labour Relations Act.

The money is to be used by the three trade-union federations participating in Nedlac: Fedsal, Nactu, Cosatu and their affiliates.

Nedlac Executive Director Jayendra Naidoo says more than 2 000 shop stewards, union office-bearers and organisers are expected to receive training in terms of the LRA training programme.

In addition, thousands more workers are expected to be empowered through an LRA video education programme being piloted by Cosatu.

While the Act was hailed as a landmark piece of legislation for workers and workers' rights when it was passed by Parliament in September last year, much still needed to be done to educate workers about its contents.

"Training is crucial to the success of the LRA. Without an in-depth understanding of and familiarisation with LRA provisions, there cannot be quality deliberations and participation in processes governed by the Act," Naidoo says.

Training is also necessary to ensure the success of two new LRA structures-the Labour Court and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration CCMA)-designed to increase the efficiency of labour-dispute resolution, Naidoo says.

"There is a danger that the Labour Court and the CCMA could be overloaded with unnecessary cases because workers are not familiar with the new LRA provisions. It is also necessary that workers and employers understand the new Act to promote better industrial relations and minimise conflict at the change-over to the new Act."

Naidoo sys Nedlac is acting as a facilitator for the flow of the LRA training programme's funds to unions benefiting from the funding, such as Fedsal, Nactu, Cosatu, some of their affiliates and federations.

They are required to draft their own training courses and develop their own materials for workshops. They then submit business plans to Nedlac to qualify for funding from the LRA training fund to implement their training programme.

To date, 312 people from Cosatu, 276 people from Nactu and 344 people from Fedsal have been involved in workshops and seminars on the LRA.

African-American Labour Centre director Barbara Lomax says it is "great to be able to use Nedlac to facilitate the funding of training programmes on the new LRA. We feel that through this grant we are, in some small way, contributing to the growth and development of the new South Africa."