Give us a say in trade tariffs, says labour minister

THE DEPARTMENT of Labour wants more say in decisions on trade tariffs in this country. Labour minister Membathisi Mdladlana said this week that it was critical that SADC labour ministers have their say in these matters. They should be involved in meetings whenever trade, investment and globalisation are under consideration, he said. Trade tariffs concerned the entire SADC while export processing zones and industrial development zones affected the labour market in one way or another. But, he said, the Minister of Labour is not involved in meetings to discuss these issues and is not seen as an important stakeholder. There is a pressing need for labour ministers to meet on a regular basis, just as finance and trade ministers do at such meetings as the World Economic Forum. Mdladlana was expressing his feelings on the matter after a meeting with ZimbabweÕs labour minister July Moyo during the latterÕs five-day visit to South Africa. He said he and Moyo had agreed that they had to be involved in meetings on tariffs and foreign investment. This was how regional economies could be integrated to maximise the individual potential of each country, he said, and the collective potential of the SADC would be enhanced.