OTHER NEDLAC ACTIVITIES

Research conducted and reports produced

Besides ongoing work conducted by the constituencies and the secretariat to inform theagreement-making processes in the chambers, certain specific research reports werecommissioned in the course of the year. These reports, which are summarised below, areavailable from the Nedlac offices. Some of these reports arise out of the JGF, atripartite research project. This project has provided some useful insights into aconsensual model/approach to research and policy formulation.

International experience of social-economic accords

At the request of the Management Committee, Nedlac contracted a researcher, SimoneSultana, to complete a report on various international experiences of social accords. Thereport, "The international experience of social-economic accords", provides avaluable overview of the experiences in various European countries, Australia and Mexico.It seeks to describe and analyse the international experience of social accords agreed bythe state and its social partners on national social and economic matters. A briefevaluation of the background to the introduction of social accords in different countriesis provided, with the focus of the paper on detailing the content of the accords and theirunderlying objectives, and on an overview of the macroeconomic performance of thecountries in question. The paper highlights traits common to most forms of social accords,and identifies underlying prerequisites which have been perceived as necessary for accordsto work.

Collective bargaining 1995

At the request of the Labour Market Chamber, Nedlac commissioned research oninnovations and trends in collective bargaining in South Africa. A number of keycollective-bargaining themes were identified, including productivity agreements, jobsecurity, training, health and safety, and agreements on reducing the wage gap. Theresearchers, Avril Joffe and Chris Lloyd, gathered a large number of collective-bargainingagreements and analysed the trends and innovations in terms of the various themes. Theyalso produced a database of all the agreements which includes a summary of the agreementson each issue. This provides a valuable resource for negotiators, mediators andpolicy-makers. The two-volume report, "Collective bargaining agreements 1995",was widely distributed. The work was very well-received by the Labour Market Chamber, andNedlac is looking at the possibility of publishing such a report on an annual basis (seeLabour Market Chamber report for a detailed commentary).

Social plan research

The social plan committee of the Trade and Industry Chamber requested research supportfor the development of policy options on social plans in South Africa. The Nedlac researchcoordinator was asked to compile a series of reports summarising international experiencein this area and exploring various aspects of the social plan proposals (see Trade andIndustry Chamber).

Japanese Grant Fund

In 1994 an amount of R7,4 million (207,8 million yen) was granted to the South Africangovernment for undertaking implementable policy studies (using the services of the WorldBank) aimed at the improvement of international competitiveness. Under the auspices of theNEF, a tripartite subcommittee, the JGF, was established to decide on studies, oversee thestudies, allocate funds accordingly, and establish South African counterpart groups toparticipate in the studies along with international experts. While the Department of Tradeand Industry concluded the agreement, the IDC was requested to act as the treasury for thefunds. It was agreed that 45% of the funds should be spent on cross-cutting issues, and55% on sectoral/cluster studies.

The JGF's initial focus has been on the following cross-cutting studies:

• Pre-shipment export finance (completed).
• Strengthening business services for South Africa's SMMEs (completed).
• Promotion of foreign direct investment (completed).
• Labour skills upgrading: financing of training (in progress with a deadline of June 1996).
• Regional industrial development policy: an evaluation of the RIDP (in progress with a deadline of June 1996).

The JGF's attention is now shifting to the sectoral/cluster studies, and investigationsare currently being conducted on the following: pottery, electronics, footwear, jewellery,wool and mohair and petrochemicals and plastics. These studies are scheduled forcompletion in January and February 1997.

Nedlac publications

Nedlac News Update. This monthly publication gives readers a quick overview of theissues being discussed in the Nedlac structures, and also reports on progress made duringnegotiations. It is mostly faxed to recipients or distributed via electronic mail.

The Nedlac bulletin is published every second month, both as a supplementto "South African Labour Bulletin" and as a separate publication distributed byNedlac. The bulletin gives readers detailed information on the issues being discussed inNedlac.