Put a unionist, an economist and a politician in the same room and, besides the start of a joke, what do you get? Hopefully, a better understanding of why there are so many strikes and solutions for addressing this. A Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) Forum, led by a panel representing business, government and labour, debated this issue in Gauteng last month. What are the issues leading to strike action? Lebogang Maile, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development: • Poverty, inequality and unemployment will always give rise to labour issues. And in Gauteng, of the population of 12.3 million people, 70% live in townships. • The wage gap – chief executive officers in Gauteng are among the top five highest paid globally. Workers are sometimes the sole breadwinner in a family. Dr Thabi Leoka, economist at Renaissance Capital: • The South African labour force does not have the right skills. • Wages cannot be increased if companies are struggling financially and productivity is low. Vuyo Bikitsha, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa: • Workers often work under difficult and dangerous conditions and are vulnerable to serious injury, which could impact their earning power. • There is little commitment from employers for additional training and skills development • There is little room for career advancement. How can these challenges be addressed? Vuyo Bikitsha, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa: • Longer (three to five-year) and more sustainable agreements should be signed with workers to prevent strikes. • Training and skills development for career advancement should be written into the contracts. • Workers should have representation on company boards. Lebogang Maile, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development: • There should be policies to help workers achieve ownership. Dr Thabi Leoka, economist at Renaissance Capital: • Government needs to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurship. • The education standards in South Africa need to be drastically increased and tertiary education should become more accessible so the gaps between educated and non-educated are smaller. INSERT & CAPTION Workers should have representation on company boards. – Vuyo Bikitsha CAPTION The Numsa strike in July 2014 focused, amongst others, on the need for training.
