Aug-Sept 2014 K.indd

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AUG/SEPT 2014 • www.cosatu.org.za

A view from NEDLAC chambers

It is however not clear to the writer whether this process was approved by Nedlac structures or was a paral lel process to the one supposed to meet the requirements of the Ned lac Protocols or Nedlac Act. To this effect the Basic Education Accord, the Skills Accord, the Local Procure ment Accord and the Green Accord were signed with all the three/four constituencies of Nedlac becom ing of fi cial signatories to them. The writer does not recall the time when and the place where discussions prior signing of the accords were subjected to social partner debate. Perhaps safe to say the writer was neither part of any discussions that produced the said accords if such discussions took place. 6.2. Seemingly, the process followed in signing of the Youth Employment Accord is no different from the one that produced the four accords mentioned above. Labour objected to the process and lodged its protest at Nedlac, demanding that Nedlac’s

in 2012. However it is reported in the NEDLAC’s Labour Market Chamber Re port (Annexure 1A, p.12) dated 09 May 2013 that “ (a) The Secretariat reported that the Economic Development Department had engaged the Social Partners to conclude a Youth Employment Ac cord*. (b) Government con fi rmed that the Ac cord will be signed on 18th April 2013 (c) The meeting noted update from Government and noted that the Ac cord process was not a NEDLAC process.”** N.B: a contradiction between * (a) and **(C) or vice versa 7. Conclusion As far as the writer is concerned the of fi cial position is that Cosatu remains opposed to either the wage subsidy or the employment incentive tax 4 . This po sition was reaf fi rmed at the Nedlac La bour School where three labour federa tions declared “ Labour is unanimously opposed to the Money Act...” 5 meaning the Employment Tax Act.

Labour Market Chamber Secretariat (Coordinator) put down on record that signing of the Youth Employ ment Accord was never subjected to the of fi cial Nedlac process. The writer is not sure whether this objec tion, by labour, applies to all accords signed or applies only to the Youth Employment Accord. 6.3. In order to reinforce the writer’s ob servation of the unevenness in ap plying rules and protocols govern ing Nedlac’s processes and proce dures 2 , the following paragraph is an extract from the Labour Market Chamber’s Report of 09 May 2013 illustrating how Labour wanted the Chamber’s Secretariat to capture its(labour) dissatisfaction with the way the Youth Employment Accord process has unfolded.

Report on Youth Employment Accord/ Youth Wage Subsidy 3 .

Discussions on the proposed Gov ernment Youth Wage Subsidy at Ned lac have not taken place since the last meeting of one a side task team last year

Worker Issues

1 For detailed discussion of policy objectives, target bene fi ciaries and how the policy measure will operate consult the Policy Document titled Confronting Youth Unemployment : Policy Options for in South Africa, 2011 2 The 2014 Nedlac Labour School declaration also “acknowledges the mushrooming of parallel tripartite forums that are undermining Nedlac Act and Protocol” See Labour’s Declaration, p.4., January 20-23, 2014 Roodevallei, Kameeldrift, Pretoria 2014 3 N.B. Discussions at Nedlac were on Youth Wage subsidy not on The Youth Employment Accord, whether the two mean the same thing it is not clear to the writer since the latter has not been subjected to a formal Nedlac Process. 4 Firstly, Cosatu has proposed an alternative e.g. an employment voucher instead of a subsidy or tax; Secondly, Cosatu and other labour federations have suggested public employment programmes for youth or public entities run-managed short to medium term youth employment programmes, so alternatives were suggested 5 See Nedlac Labour ‘s Constituency Declaration p.4; January 20-23, 2014 Roodevallei, Kameeldrift, Pretoria 2014