The Labour and Employment Minister, Thulas Nxesi, says they are adding up to 500 inspectors to their team to go into specific industries including hospitality, security, retail and manufacturing where non-South Africans are being taken advantage of.
He was speaking at the Third Annual Shop Stewards and Union Officials Conference that the CCMA hosted at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
“We’ve seen it happening in the restaurant industry we’ve seen it in construction, security industry we can see it’s been extended into the retail sector and what we are saying, those are not scarce skills that’s our argument, you only bring workers from outside if it is scarce skill there is a particular process to follow when you bring a worker from outside.”
Last month, Nxesi announced that the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) will meet on a monthly basis along with various departments to oversee the implementation of the agenda set out in the Nedlac report on the Framework Agreement adopted at last year’s Presidential Job Summit.
Nxesi said in light of the latest unemployment statistics, it’s time for a plan of action in tackling the jobs crisis.
“All the departments now who are responsible are going to be made to account on everything. There will be no excuses; this is crunch time. We are in a deep crisis we can no longer just talk in the boardrooms. We need concrete plans and that’s what is going to start happening from September. Concrete actions have to be implemented.”
