The road freight industry should gear up for wage increases, Moshina Chenia of Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr told delegates at the Road Freight Association (RFA) conference currently under way near Hermanus in the Western Cape.
Labour issues and transformation topped today’s agenda.
He said it would be more about the rands and cents this year than the auxiliary issues.
Unions are set to deliver their demands to the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry this week and negotiations will officially start early next week as the current three-year multi-term agreement ends this year.
According to Thabi Leoka, an independent economist, while radical economic transformation was often perceived as a negative, increasing economic transformation and improving South Africa’s economic performance was essential for all South Africans.
“We need to see more people employed, better educated people and a system that encourages more investment,” she said.
“We have to accelerate change or we will see increased strikes affecting business negatively,” she said.
Leoka said expanding manufacturing was important and South Africa could make great strides economically by growing its manufacturing sector. Too many opportunities were not exploited resulting in slow growth.
