Nedlac succeeded in lobbying to support businesses, workers through lockdown – Nxesi

Social partners to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) have expressed satisfaction at its efforts to keep Covid at bay and its significant inputs to various pieces of legislation.

Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi said nowhere was Nedlac’s role of facilitating an all-of-society response to major challenges facing the country more evident than in the council’s response to the pandemic.

He said Nedlac succeeded in lobbying to support businesses, workers and their families through lockdown – as well as leading in establishing health and safety protocols to keep workplaces safe.

The efforts had resulted in a legacy project, in partnership with the Compensation Fund, on the management of Covid in the workplace to improve occupational health and safety compliance. It had also made significant inputs into legislation and policy, including the Companies Amendment Bill and Critical Skills List.

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Nxesi, addressing Nedlac’s 27th annual national summit in Midrand yesterday, said: “The council needs to be proactive, taking up and leading on the major challenges we face – a just transition, sustainability, digitisation and the changing world of work.

“Nedlac needs to be agile and contemporary – taking up topical issues such as the cost of living, energy etc. We do need to engage with some speed on the difficult issues such as labour law reform, the Employment Services Amendment Bill and migration policy,” Nxesi said.

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Similar sentiments were expressed by Cas Coovadia, chief executive of Business Unity South Africa, who said the context in which Nedlac operated should be considered: SA’s poor investment climate, unstable electricity supply, poor water infrastructure, social instability including xenophobia and weak law enforcement and corruption.

Nedlac executive director Lisa Seftel, in her report on Nedlac’s performance in the 2021-22 financial year, said the body was forced to balance between inputting into policy and oversight over implementation.

“Nedlac can only be as strong as its weakest link,” she said.