JOINT PROCESSES

Unemployment Insurance Bill (UIB) and Unemployment Insurance Contributions Bill (UICB) (Labour Market and Public Finance Chambers)

The Minister of Labour submitted the UIB on 2 March 2000 for consideration at Nedlac, and a negotiating committee was established under the auspices of the Labour Market Chamber. The committee requested Government to table the UICB as well, and since this had implications regarding funding, representation from the Public Finance and Monetary Policy Chamber joined the committee.

A workshop on financing unemployment insurance was held on 13 May 2000 in an attempt to develop a common understanding on the affordability of benefits provided for in the UIB and various costing scenarios. It was agreed that the Department of Labour would request an actuarial assessment of income and expenditure under the Bills from the ILO. The report of the ILO was made available to the committee of Nedlac in the week of 28 August 2000.

Six meetings of the negotiating team were held apart from the workshop, and a Nedlac report was finalised at the end of September.

Task Team delegates

Government

Shadrack Mkhonto David Khumalo Sagren Govender Frank Chauke

Elias Masilele Uven Bunsee Les Kettledas Jerry Majatladi

Business

Barry Shipman Kobus Kleynhans

Gerrit Sandrock Miekie Dames

Labour

Bengeza Mthombeni Oupa Bodibe

Joseph Maqhekeni George Strauss

Social Security (Development and Labour Market Chambers)

The provision of an adequate social security system, particularly for the poorest of the poor, was amongst the Government's priorities towards the eradication of poverty. It was at the Presidential Jobs Summit where the Nedlac parties agreed to a call from Cosatu for the provision of an improved Social Security System. Nedlac received a briefing on the draft report of the Commission for Social Security.

The Nedlac parties agreed to establish a joint task team between the Development and the Labour Market Chambers. The task team developed a terms of reference which would be further discussed once the report of the Commission was released in June 2001.

Task team delegates

Labour

Ravi Naidoo

Government

Shakes Mkhonto

Fezile Makiwane

Business

Barry Shipman

Community

Peter Matthews

Construction Industry Development Board Bill (Development and Trade and Industry Chambers)

The Nedlac constituencies continued to serve on the Ministerial task team that was tasked with considering the Bill to provide and establish a Construction Industry Development Board (CBID).

Parallel to that, Nedlac established a joint task team between the Development and the Trade and Industry Chambers in order to ensure that there was maximum participation of stakeholders in the establishment of the Construction Industry Development Board Bill.

The Nedlac task team had two meetings to make inputs to the Bill. The inputs of the task team were included in the finalisation of the Draft Bill.

Task team delegates:

Labour

Thabo Morale

Henk Campher

Business

Sabelo Macingwane Ian Robinson Henk Langenhoven

Colin de Kock Cyril Herr

Community

Khulu Mbongo

Government

Spencer Hodgson

Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (Trade and Industry and Public Finance Chambers)

One meeting of the task team was held on 19 July 2000. Business expressed concern that the Act had not been submitted to Nedlac for negotiation and participation by constituencies; that the draft regulations were very difficult and complex to understand. It urged government to seriously consider and implement input submitted by constituencies regarding the draft regulations. Labour felt that the debate on the Preferential Procurement Framework Act was superficial and inadequate and sought more meaningful negotiations on the draft regulations.

It was agreed that constituencies would forward their submissions to the secretariat. Thereafter, the secretariat would liaise with Government for a response from the Minister of Finance and arrange a follow-up meeting.

Task team delegates

Business:

Michael McDonald Bill Lacey

Jim Buys

Labour:

Dennis George Fiona Tregenna

Edwin Pillay Thami Myeza

Government:

Jan Breytenbach

ACP/EU Dakar/Windhoek Declaration in terms of the Cotonou Agreement(Development and Trade and Industry Chambers)

Nedlac has been participating in the discussions concerning the implementation of the New Cotonou Agreement. Nedlac has established a task team to initiate strategies on the civil society participation on the New Cotonou Agreement.

The Nedlac task team, which met ten time in the period under review, established a terms of reference for the national projects to be funded under the New Cotonou Agreement.

Task team delegates

Business

Michael McDonald

Sabelo Macingwane

Government

Elroy Jacobs

Shahid Rajie

Community

Khulu Mbongo

Labour

Thabo Morale

Themba Kgasi

Public Service Jobs Summit

The Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) convened a sector summit on the restructuring of the public service in January 2001. Nedlac was mandated by its constituencies to assist in the coordination of the summit.

The process was coordinated by both the planning committee (PSCBC parties, Nedlac and facilitators) and a political committee (PSCBC political heads and Nedlac secretariat). The PSCBC convened the planning committee and Nedlac convened the political committee. The secretariat also played a central role in ensuring that parties reached an agreement on the restructuring of the public service. PSCBC was discussing the implementation of the summit agreement and Nedlac was asked to assist in that process.

Visits by Multilateral Institutions

Mr. Horst Kohler, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund visited Nedlac on 7 July 2000. The purpose of his visit was to engage with senior representatives from the various constituencies on developmental issues and the challenges of massive unemployment and poverty eradication.

On 24 July 2000 the African Development Bank visited Nedlac as part of its visit to South Africa to review the South African Strategy Paper. Issues discussed include poverty eradication, programmes for reducing unemployment, regional integration, core labour standards and laws and the assessment of the prevailing business climate including the incentives and restrictions affecting business.

Monitoring the Presidential Jobs Summit Agreements This process was kick-started after an assessment that the agreements were not being implemented as assertively as they could be. It has reported to the Manco on all issues the constituencies have identified as being of relevance with a view to speeding up the implementation of the PJSA. The reports that the committee received revealed a great deal of activity in terms of implementing the PJSAs. It was also clear from the report that more could be done, especially in terms of job creation, poverty eradication and the provision of housing. While there have been clear strides made in the skills development area this remains a priority.