Government, business, labour and the civil society organisations have agreed to put the health and well-being of all South Africans ahead of profits.
This emerged from a virtual meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and representatives of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) on Friday.
The meeting was called to discuss deepening co-operation as part of the national effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
President @CyrilRamaphosa has today met with social partners represented in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) to discuss deepening cooperation as part of the national effort to combat the #coronavirus pandemic. https://t.co/icXFLhkLer
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 17, 2020
South Africa has been on lockdown for 22 days now and the local economy is already staggering under the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To date over 40 000 domestic workers are said to have lost their jobs during the lockdown, and fears mount that the already ailing economy will be forced to its knees.
In the video below, 43 000 complaints from domestic workers lodged at the CCMA:
On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa convened the monthly Nedlac to find ways to respond to the crisis.
Both government, business, labour and civil society agreed to prioritise measures to contain the spread of virus and to minimise the loss of life. They all agreed to give their full support to proposed economic recovery measures and lend social support to the country’s most vulnerable.
President Ramaphosa also urged business and labour to cooperate to ensure social protection for workers during the lockdown.
#COVID19 | President @CyrilRamaphosa chaired a virtual meeting of the National Economic Development and Labour Council this morning from his private residence in Johannesburg. #NEDLAC #CoronaVirusSA pic.twitter.com/eYFuOueTQC
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 17, 2020
