Chairperson and hon members, it is indeed an honour as a novice to echo the views of the many unsung men and women of our country.
It is regrettable to see how many people are losing their jobs, how many companies are closing down and how unemployment is increasing daily. It is against this backdrop that the DA, as the custodian of the open-opportunity society, offers the following keys: employment vouchers to subsidise the wages of first-time workers; special exemption from certain conditions of the Labour Act; exemption for medium and small firms from cumbersome regulations in order to encourage them to employ more people; and decentralised minimum wage negotiations to allow greater autonomy, especially in the labour-intensive sectors like agriculture.
One of the policy priorities in the Department of Labour is to strengthen labour market institutions such as the National Economic Development and Labour Council, the Labour Court and the CCMA so as to address bottlenecks in the labour market and to ensure the smooth functioning of the labour market.
Needless to say, people are held hostage by the likes of race-based affirmative action. This has resulted in many skilled people leaving our shores and because of that, a massive brain drain. The consequences of about a million skilled people emigrating a decade ago have been more job losses. The time has come for South Africa to focus all our spending on consumption. We should urgently introduce wage subsidy schemes that make it cheaper and easier for employers to bring first-time job seekers into the labour market.
The Minister said in Johannesburg after addressing a meeting of the Motor Transport Workers' Union:
I am almost certain we may have to amend the legislation soon. I see labour brokers as a problem, and it's a problem we must work at. We must address this problem and it's a battle we must fight, and it's a battle we must win, and now is the time - now or never.
Ek wil vriendelik, dog ernstig, namens die arbeidsmakelaars 'n versoek rig aan die Minister dat die saak met nugtere denke aangepak moet word. Indien daar van die arbeidsmakelaars ontslae geraak sou word in hierdie moeilike ekonomiese omstandighede, hoe sal diegene wat tans deur die arbeidsmakelaars van werk voorsien word, geholpe raak?
Daar bestaan geen twyfel oor die feit dat volhoubare werkgeleenthede nie slegs deur die Uitgebreide Openbare Werke-program bewerkstellig kan word nie. Alternatiewe metodes sal in die lewe geroep moet word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[On behalf of the labour brokers I want to make a friendly yet serious appeal to the Minister to address the matter sober-mindedly. If we do away with labour brokers under these difficult economic conditions, how will the needs be met of those whom the labour brokers are currently assisting to find employment?
There is no doubt about the fact that sustainable job opportunities cannot only be brought about by the Extended Public Works Programme. We need to find alternative methods.]
The Compensation Fund was established to ensure that employees are properly cared for if they are injured at work, and that they remain healthy and able to support their families. It is managed by the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, Coida.
Since 2000, over one million workplace accidents were reported to the commission. It is a crucial part of South Africa's social welfare net. But, despite recent claims by the commissioner that the commission has improved its performance, the 2008 Auditor-General report shows that it is still failing disastrously to do its job.
Firstly, the Compensation Fund received a disclaimer of opinion from the Auditor-General because of the lack of appropriate records to the tune of R10,16 billion. We ask what the plan to resolve these trends is. Furthermore, the Auditor-General could not express an opinion on the completeness, accuracy or even the existence of claims totalling R1,6 billion because of a backlog in the scanning of claims documents into the fund's electronic document management system. What is the strategy to overhaul this system?
Coida is yet another example of government bureaucracy where nonperformance makes the lives of people, who depend on it, a misery. In the case of the commission, these people are generally poor blue-collar workers who do not have the means to pay for proper health care and insurance for themselves, and who risk losing their jobs as a result of being disabled by inadequate treatment.
It is catastrophic, to say the least, that in the working environment females are still victims of discrimination - discrimination that includes sexual harassment. Labour inspectors are encouraged to ensure that sexual harassment policies are in place and being complied with in all sectors of the workforce. Strict law enforcement should be the order of the day and defaulters should be punished severely in order to root out this evil in our society.
It is unfortunate to notice that within the Department of Labour there are a number of challenges that seem to have remained unresolved for some time. Inadequate capacity, which results in delays in processing claims; failure to provide for electronic submission of documents resulting in large amounts of paper in the organisation and poor record-keeping; outdated and inefficient business processes; the nonexistence of the Inspection Enforcement Strategy, IES, case management system for Coida unreported cases; nonsubmission and delays in reporting accidents and submission of information and documentation, particularly banking details; and compensation amounting to R400 million in unclaimed cheques. What is done to track down these people who may be sleeping without a decent plate of food every night?
It seems that the department uses a carte blanche approach when doing assessments because no proper performance management system, PMS, is in place to do the evaluation.
In conclusion, it is sad to say that those who need this service the most are today at a bigger disadvantage than ever. Thank you. [Applause.]