Chairperson, hon Minister and members, I want to thank the Minister for the positive announcements she has made today. I am particularly pleased about your announcement of improved benefits for those on maternity leave. At last, our questions and prodding have paid off. I believe, however, that this announcement is too little, too late.
Hon Makhubela-Mashele has today illustrated why we have such serious labour challenges. To state that workers can only exercise their rights through strike action is absolutely shocking. Hon Williams, by using these bags, I will illustrate the strange kind of patriotism shown by the Department of Labour. I will return to these issues later.
In the hon Minister's budget speech last year, she stated: "Our government has worked tirelessly to give expression to the old injunction of the Freedom Charter that there shall be work and security." Hon Minister, if government has indeed been working hard, it is now certainly the time to work smarter. The Department of Labour quite brashly states that it aims to reduce unemployment, poverty and inequality. Measured against this objective, the department is failing dismally.
It cost the department a shocking R163 000 to place just one job seeker. Unemployment is growing fast and, if we include discouraged work seekers, stands at a staggering 38%. With only 13,6 million employed, far fewer people are currently employed than when this government took power in 2009. Government, as represented by this and other departments and its trade union partners or, as the Minister calls them, your "social partners", are destroying jobs fast. Yet, with the right leadership, this department can work much smarter and contribute to the creation of jobs.
Minister, within my limited time, I propose five steps which the DA with its open-opportunity policy would take to reduce unemployment fast. The first step is to stop siding with the big role-players, many with political motives, who only want to push out competition in our markets. Half of our textile workers have lost their jobs since the ANC came to power, most of them in the last 10 years. Most rural textile factories could not cope with the higher wages that big unions and urban factories agreed to. The number of farm workers affected by sectoral determination has already declined from 800 000 in 2009 to 610 000 in 2012 - this while the National Development Plan intended for agriculture to employ a further one million workers. This trend can be turned around, but only if you co-ordinate the actions of various government departments to lower the cost of employment and to attract investment.
Agb Minister, die ANC is trots op sy verhouding met Cosatu. My tweede versoek is dat u u invloed sal gebruik op u vennote om met groter verantwoordelikheid op te tree en vir die lang termyn te dink. Slim vakverbonde weet hoe ver hulle werkgewers kan druk en pas hul salaris-eise daarby aan. Onredelike vakbonde stel eise wat lei tot werkverliese. Ons het juis hierdie week gesien hoedat onredelike salaris-eise die ekonomie kan knou en hoe die waarde van die rand daal.
Verder, hierdie regering het 'n wet aanvaar wat die organiseerders van sportbyeenkomste aanspreeklik hou vir enige wangedrag van toeskouers. Waarom dan die teenstand om vakverbonde aanspreeklik te hou vir skade wat tydens stakings aangerig word? Waarom word hulle toegelaat om wetsgehoorsame mede-Suid-Afrikaners te intimideer? Hoe lank moet ons nog hoor van sterftes wat die direkte gevolg is van intimidasie en kompetisie tussen vakverbonde?
Agb Minister, die beelde van onskuldige straathandelaars wie se stalletjies geplunder word deur mense wat verseker is van 'n maandelikse salaris gee sommige vakbonde - en veral u sogenaamde vennote - 'n slegte naam. U departement se begroting bied finansile steun aan vir sommige vakbondfederasies. Ek glo dit is raadsaam om in die toekoms kontrakte te sluit wat bepaal dat u die geld sal oorbetaal as die betrokke federasie se lede hulle van geweld en intimidasie sal weerhou.
My derde beroep is dat u u kollegas sal versoek om nie politieke uitsprake te maak wat werkgeleenthede in gevaar stel nie. Die mededingendheid van ons arbeidsmark het verswak van die 123ste posisie in 2008 tot die 133ste posisie uit 139 lande in 2011. Ons moet ons entrepreneurs koester en die rooi tapyt vir hulle uitrol, maar wat sien ons uit die gedrag van regeringsleiers soos Adjunkminister Marius Fransman en Minister Joemat- Pettersson? Ons entrepreneurs is uitgeskel as slawemeesters en allerhande vloekwoorde toegevoeg. Dit skroom ANC-raadslid Tony Ehrenreich min om oproepe te herhaal dat Suid-Afrikaanse produkte geboikot moet word. Tussen hom en die staatsbefondsde mnr Nosey Pietersen, wat beide beweer dat hulle hul vir die belange van die armes beywer, het hulle reeds duisende werkverliese veroorsaak. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Hon Minister, the ANC prides itself on its relationship with Cosatu. My second request is that you will use your influence with regard to your partners so that they behave with greater responsibility and think about the long term. Astute labour unions know how far they can push employees and adjust their salary demands accordingly. Unreasonable labour unions issue demands that lead to job losses. Just this week we saw how unreasonable salary demands can damage the economy and how the value of the rand decreases.
Furthermore, this government enacted a law that put the responsibility on organisers of sport events should spectators misbehave in any way. Why then the resistance to hold labour unions responsible for damages that occur during strikes? Why are they allowed to intimidate law-abiding fellow South Africans? How much longer must we still hear about deaths that are the direct result of intimidation and competition between labour unions?
Hon Minister, the scenes in which innocent street vendors' stalls are looted by people who are assured of a monthly salary give some labour unions - and especially your so-called partners - a bad name. Your department's budget offers financial assistance to some labour union federations. I believe it is advisable to conclude contracts in the future which determine that you will transfer the money if the members of the relevant federation restrain themselves from using violence and intimidation.
My third request is that you call upon your colleagues not to make political comments that endanger job opportunities. Competitiveness in our labour market decreased from the 123rd position in 2008 to the 133rd position out of a total of 139 countries in 2011. We must look after our entrepreneurs and lay out the red carpet for them, but when we observe the behaviour of government leaders such as Deputy Minister Marius Fransman and Minister Joemat-Pettersson, what do we see? Our entrepreneurs are verbally abused for being slave masters and referred to in vile language. ANC councillor Tony Ehrenreich does not hesitate to repeat calls that South African products should be boycotted. Between him and the state-funded Mr Nosey Pietersen, who both allege that they campaign for the interests of the poor, they have contributed to the loss of thousands of jobs.]
The fourth step that the Minister of Labour can take to support economic growth is to further the benefits payable under the Unemployment Insurance Fund. This fund is currently sitting with investments of R80 billion, which is 10 times the amount paid out in claims last year. Can you imagine the economic injection and the number of jobs that can be created when this fund and the Compensation Fund start catching up with the backlog of billions in claims? There are huge opportunities for the Compensation Fund to further improve benefits to domestic workers, something which they don't currently enjoy at all.
Minister, each unnecessary import of foreign-produced goods contributes to unemployment. My fifth request therefore is to support local enterprises. Hon Mabasa recently showcased this bag, which was apparently manufactured in Soweto. This bag - and the hon chairperson of the committee referred to the Sheltered Employment Factories - was manufactured in such a factory. However, do you know where this bag, with the logo of the Department of Labour, which was handed out at the Employment Equity and Transformation Indaba earlier, was manufactured? It was manufactured in India. [Interjections.] It was probably imported via Waterkloof! I wonder whether this was manufactured in a factory belonging to the Guptas. This, hon Williams, is not patriotism!