Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, Mpumalanga is very impressed with the active participation and inclusion of organised labour in the preparation of and deliberations on this Bill.
The dialogue that ensued and the suggestions made, especially by these stakeholders, signal a very good precedent for the future of the National Health Laboratory Service.
The department and all stakeholders have shown a keen interest in ensuring that the Bill is indeed inclusive of the needs of all workers who are currently employed in this very tenuous position. No one should be held in a state of limbo where his or her future is determined by a piece of legislation, thus our concession.
While it is true that some of the workers currently employed in laboratories across the country have found themselves in this very unpleasant situation for some time now, it is nevertheless imperative that we, as responsible legislators, provide a more permanent environment for those workers in the numerous laboratories across the country and for those workers who will, in future, be participating in this service.
The provinces wanted to be sure that this Bill would be conducive to personal growth and the improvement of skills and have clear career pathing for all those hoping for promotion in the future in this service.
Mpumalanga is sure that we have succeeded in this Bill as it now stands. We understood and empathised with the frustration of workers who, in one laboratory, will be overworked whilst others in another would have very little or no work to do at all. We have seen the need to level the playing field so that workers have job satisfaction in their workplace. We believe that this Bill successfully addresses this problem.
This Bill also shows further concern for the wellbeing of workers by the inclusion of comprehensive transitional provisions which deal with the complex period of transition. This foresight will ensure that workers who are currently in the employ of the various laboratories are transferred to the new service. Even those workers who are dissatisfied with the transfer will have recourse to refer their dispute to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Hopefully, no one will need to resort to this course of action. We are confident that all the parties involved in the National Health Laboratory Service will find the new structure a viable option for their future, except, of course, people who are used to flying kites instead of flying parachutes. They would go for the very cosy option of flying kites because there are no challenges involved. They would not get involved in deliberations and come to waste the time of this Chamber.
In addition to our concern about workers' rights, our province was very concerned that this new public entity might not be accessible to the needs of the community. We were assured, though, through our interactions and deliberations in the select committee process as well as in the other provincial committees, that although it was never the intention that laboratory services should provide direct access to the community, the community will nonetheless feel the direct benefit when their local pubic health care service uses the laboratories. [Time expired.] [Applause.]