National Assembly: 13 April 2010

Honourable Speaker,

Labour is the aggregate of all human physical and mental effort used in creation of goods and services within a country. In other words, Labour is the backbone and driver of the economy.

The IFP considers labour as one of our country's most precious resources.

But like any precious resource, labour must be protected from exploitation and ill-treatment; it must be nurtured in such a way that it grows strong, thereby ensuring high levels of productivity and economic growth within our country.

Our key focus areas must be on sustainable job creation. Whilst we applaud the Department on its creation of the Public Employment services programme we also note that it has only received 15.7% of the budget. Is this sufficient in terms of the objectives and goals of this programme? The answer is no.

The IFP also urges the minister to take cognisance of international measures in addressing the current labour and economic crisis such as the ILO's "Global Jobs" pact. Re-training and re-skilling of workers is paramount if we are to emerge from this current economic crisis in a position of economic strength.

Unlawful and unregulated Labour broking practices remain a grave concern of the IFP's and we task the Minister to take the necessary steps in order to bring these abusive practices to an end. Legislation or prohibition must be enacted which will create a standard code of practice within this industry.

The CCMA is currently overburdened with it's caseload due mainly to our current economic crisis. The CCMA should be sufficiently resourced and assisted to a greater extent by the Department as it plays a vital role in successful labour dispute resolution in South Africa. The IFP commends the CCMA on the 14430 jobs that it recently helped save with its section 189A facilitation processes. We do however also condemn the use of the CCMA by certain individuals who seem to be using it as a scapegoat for their own private agendas. We say "Let the workers be represented properly without fear or favour"

Child labour, which is especially rife within our rural communities, must be eradicated. It not only undermines a child's physical, mental and spiritual development but it also interferes with their school schedule or forces them to leave school early because they have no time for their studies. Our children are the leaders of tomorrow and must be equipped with the necessary skills base that schooling provides in order to succeed in life. Uneducated children are truly the loss of a nation as opposed to ill-disciplined children who are the waste of a nation. The IFP strongly urges the department to take this matter very seriously and to be pro-active in its eradication.

We believe that the goal of sustainable job creation must be given the highest priority within the Department. A country whose workforce is active is a successful country, it is a country with low levels of crime and of poverty, and we  therefore task the Minister to advance the creation of decent jobs and the kinds of economic and working conditions that give working people and business people a stake in lasting peace, prosperity and progress.

The IFP supports the vote.

I thank You.

Contact:
Mr V B Ndlovu MP
083 625-0803