Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon members, hon Minister of Employment and Labour, special delegates, director-general and senior managers, distinguished guests, fellow South Africans, 64 years ago, the Freedom Charter was consolidated and subsequently adopted in Kliptown by the Congress of the People. Hitherto, the lodestar still forms the basis of ANC policy orientation.
It continues to shape the form and content of our resolutions. It was the resolution of this watershed congress which adopted the
clause that, "There shall be work and security." Upon assuming power in 1994, the ANC-led government has introduced legislation to enhance stability in the labour market.
The Department of Labour has played the leading role in shaping market and labour relations. The promotion of labour standards and rights at the workplace is core to the mandate of the department. This mandate advances the Freedom Charter's intent when it says, "All workers shall be free to form trade unions, to elect their officers and to make wage agreements with their employers."
This vote advances the interests of the National Development Plan as an ANC policy imperative. The allocations contained in the vote contribute to the pivotal role of the department: In increasing workplace inspections to promote a healthy working environment in the workplace; and enhancing labour relations by using labour forums, such as National Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac.
The Presidents clarion call in the state of the nation address places emphasis on encouraging government, business and labour to form a social compact, to deal with the challenges of the nation. The ANC-led government has made huge progress in ensuring that the
rights of workers enshrined in the Constitution are entrenched, whilst the balance of ensuring business interests are equally protected.
The policy achievements of the ANC has since democracy shaped legislation and regulated the workplace. The Labour Relations Act of 1995, as amended, was and remains internationally one of the best pieces of legislation to regulate the relations between employers and employees.
It was the ANC 2014 Elections Manifesto which outlined the need to investigate the modality to introduce a minimum wage as a key mechanism to reduce income inequality. The Outcome 4 of the Medium- Term Strategic Framework emphasises on creating decent work through inclusive growth. The National Minimum Wage Act is a major contribution towards reducing income inequality and poverty.
The budget vote has allocated an amount of R114,1 million for the National Minimum Wage Commissions, which are expected to conclude research on the economic impact of the minimum wage on employment, poverty, inequality and wage differentials. The Commissions will evaluate and review the impact of the Act on improving the lives of
our people, report back and recommend to Minister on a way forward on future increases.
I agree with you hon Minister that safety in the workplace remains a concern for the ANC. The union-led fight supported by ANC-led government legislation has sought over the past years to deal with incidents of negligence and unsafe working conditions at the workplace. The amended Occupation Health and Safety Act of 1993 will enable the inspectors to administer fines on employers who do not comply with safety regulations and instruct workers to work under hazardous conditions.
Due to fewer workplace inspectors the number of workplaces that are not visited annually has risen. The vote of funds allocates R172,6 million to increase the number of inspectors so as to enforce compliance under the subprogramme of Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement. We agree with you again, hon Minister, that the organised labour union is critical in defending the rights of workers, and the ANC encourages organised labour to be at the forefront, exerting pressure on employers to comply with safety standards.
To ensure fair labour practices and provide justice, an increase of R107,1 million over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration has been allocated to ensure and accelerate addressing caseloads and provide training to commissioners and assessors.
The vote provides for entities such as the Compensation Fund, to administer compensation for occupation injuries and diseases. The Fund has made significant improvements over the years, and dealt with the adjudication of 90% of registered claims within 30 days. This is remarkable considering the backlog the entity has had in the past.
The timeous compensation of injured workers assists families to be sustained during this period. The budget allocation increases to R1,3 billion for the compensation of employees. The improvement in the ITC system has led to major improvements in the handling of claims. It is estimated that the turnaround time of claims of 30 days will shrink to 20 days by the 2021-22 financial year.
Unemployment Insurance Fund plays a vital role in providing social security in the country, and contributes as short term unemployment insurance. The fund has been budgeted R1 billion for the training of
beneficiaries to assist companies in rather reskilling their workers for retention. The unemployment insurance fund estimates job retention of about 10 000 jobs and increasing jobs through an increase in administration personnel.
The ANC 54th National Policy Conference in 2017 endorsed creating decent work as a primary focus of economic policy. The idea of decent work underpins work as a source of human dignity, family stability and economic growth. The National Development Plan emphasises decent work as the ability to uplift the social standard of living and living conditions of an individual.
The vote has been successful to outline and fund the inspection of the implementation and enforcing the minimum wage on employers. This will assist in closing wage gap and reduce inequalities in the households. The vote is weighted towards inspection and dealing with complaints, and whilst this will minimise the hazardous working environment, it will also contribute to employment through increasing the number of inspectors. We support this Budget Vote. Thank you, Deputy Chair. [Applause.]