No weakening of the labour laws - 09-02-06

 

No weakening of the labour laws!

The Congress of South African Trade Unions warmly welcomes the statement on Tuesday 7 February by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana that the government has no intention of amending the country's labour laws.

COSATU has argued repeatedly that no evidence has ever been produced to show that the labour laws are an obstacle to economic growth and job creation. They provide a framework for the regulation of the labour market, the enforcement of basic minimum conditions and the protection of workers from exploitation, abuse and unfair dismissal.

There are far too many workers who are still denied these basic constitutional and legal rights, particularly with the relentless increase in the number of insecure, low-paid, temporary and part-time jobs, as a result of the casualisation of labour. As a result there are more and more workers who desperately need the protection that the labour laws provide. COSATU wants these workers to get more, not less protection, and fully supports the efforts of the Minister to enforce the labour laws more effectively, especially in the most vulnerable sectors of domestic work and agriculture.