NEDLAC POLICY SESSION ON TRADE AND INDUSTRY

In a wide-ranging policy session with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin, today, senior representatives from the Nedlacconstituencies discussed several policy areas, including tariff policy, supply side measures and the trade agreements with the European Union and Southern African Development Community.

Participants in the discussions included the General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary of Fedusa, the Assistant GeneralSecretaries of Nactu and Numsa; the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of Business South Africa and the Director General of Trade and Industry, Dr Zav Rustomjee.

On the issue of tariff policy, the Ministeri ndicated that there would be a comprehensive process of research and dialogue to considertariff reform for the next 10-year period after 2002. He briefed the chamber on theapproach government was proposing South Africa take in the forthcoming Ministerial meetingof the World Trade Organisation in Seattle in November this year. This approach would be fleshed out with Nedlac constituencies at a Consultative Forum at Gallagher Estates latert his month. Moreover, the delegation to Seattle would include representatives from the Nedlac constituencies.

On the issue of supply side measures, the meeting agreed that there would be a presentation from the Director-General of Trade and Industry on all the current schemes offered by the DTI. The chamber would there after structure a holistic discussion on the matter.

Erwin said that it was imperative that both the EU agreement and the SADC treaty be implemented. Government would not tolerate any delays to the SADC negotiations in particular. He encouraged business and labour to increasetheir efforts to interact with their counterparts in other SADC countries, adding that the lack of Nedlac-type dialogue between business, labour and government in other Southern African countries was an drawback to economic development in those countries.

Other issues which were highlighed for the chamber included briefings on DTI initiatives such as the auto cluster in the Eastern Cape, beneficiation projects, and a government study on capital markets and SMME's.

Acting Executive Director of Nedlac, Wendy Dobson, characterised the meeting as informative and useful for directing the work of Nedlac's Trade and Industry Chamber.