Through collective bargaining, wage increases can help to create jobs by putting more money into pockets and increasing spending on goods and services. They have to employ more workers to meet the increased demand which leads to faster growth in the GDP.
The issue of unemployment cannot only be addressed by nonincreases in wages that come as a result of collective bargaining because there will be no buying power to those few who are working as we speak. So, to say that the few employed have to be paid less in order for the unemployed to be employed, is not true. [Interjection.]
The ANC congratulates the Minister on the announcement made regarding the Unemployment Insurance Fund, UIF, amendment to extend more benefits to vulnerable workers, in the main, in the agriculture and domestic sector.
Peaceful negotiations come as a result of the procedures that are set in terms of the legislations. We have seen those industrial actions that happened as a result of a dispute that could not be resolved between employers and employees. Those are strikes that happen as a result of following the procedures, notwithstanding the fact that there are unprotected industrial actions. At the same time we look at what causes an unprotected industrial action. We must not only look at the fact that it is an unprotected industrial action without looking at what caused it and who provoked those workers to embark on an unprotected industrial action. [Interjections.]