Speaker and hon members, Cabinet will consider amendments to the Labour Relations Act in the next few months and I am not in a position to speculate on what Cabinet may decide on the matter.
It is, however, pertinent to point out the following - that the Labour Relations Act provides a legal framework for promoting and facilitating collective bargaining at the workplace and at sectoral level. Negotiations are by nature flexible and often result in both parties making compromises from their original positions.
The policies of the current government are to promote job creation and to protect vulnerable workers. The current legislation is flexible enough to allow for competition in the labour market. As the hon member will be aware, the Minister of Higher Education and Training recently published a Green Paper on postschool further education and training. The conclusion of the Green Paper process will undoubtedly have major implications for our labour market, as it will accelerate all efforts to build a capable labour force.
With regard to economic growth, our approach is that indeed the private sector plays a major role, but there is also a role for government, which is mainly to create an enabling environment for growth. However, and perhaps more importantly, we should not lose sight of the fact that economic growth must go hand in hand with job creation and generate the necessary revenue that enables government to pursue progressive developmental policies.
The massive infrastructure investment that was announced by the President during the state of the nation address and further elaborated on by the Minister of Finance during the Budget Speech is one of the initiatives that will contribute to the creation of an environment that enables growth.
In addition to infrastructure investment, we are implementing measures to diversify exports, to reduce the cost of doing business in South Africa, to reduce constraints to growth in various sectors, as well as to promote more efficient production systems and entrepreneurship and innovation. We also undertake, on a continuous basis, regulatory reform to improve competitiveness.
While it is true that the number of unemployed people rose by 107 000 last year, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey released earlier this month informs us that 365 000 people were able to get new jobs. Our main focus is to ensure that economic growth accelerates and that we create more jobs, mainly in the private sector. We were able to reduce the number of people unemployed in the years before the recession began, and we aim to return to that level of performance and even exceed it in the years to come. In the meantime, we are also providing short-term employment and various forms of social support for those not able to find jobs.
In this regard, the Interministerial Committee on Antipoverty and Job Creation has identified six programmes for intensification. These are the Expanded Public Works Programme, the Community Works Programme, the development of small enterprises and co-operatives, the Jobs Fund, vocational training, and the War on Poverty campaign. Our approach, as ably articulated in the New Growth Path, is that while investments in various initiatives take root, the economy and South Africans need a stronger short- term employment boost.
The advantage with the Community Works Programme is that it has proven its ability to expand rapidly and flexibly while the strengthening of community structures provides a platform for other programmes. The interministerial committee is taking special interest in the work of supporting small enterprises and the development of co-operatives, given the immediate livelihood and job creation potential of these activities. Finally, the Expanded Public Works Programme is being strengthened, and funding has been allocated for new projects. I thank you for your attention. [Applause.]