Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi says economic growth and job creation are of utmost importance in the trucking industry, but violent protests are condemned in the strongest terms.
This as truck drivers affiliated with the All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa embarked on a stayaway from Sunday.
They say no trucks will be moving across the country. They are protesting against the hiring of foreign nationals in the trucking industry.
However, Nxesi has reiterated that this job will not be reserved for South Africans only as some foreign nationals also have some critical skills.
Nxesi has been updating the media on the Draft National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP).
“Whilst we are negotiating with the unions to say there are various platforms where their issues have to be addressed, the government is contending with the issue of increasing employment in the country. But also violence has to be dealt with in the country. We can’t accept violence. We can’t accept the blocking of roads of this country, which are supplying goods and services to the whole country or even to the SADEC countries and other parts of the continent. That will not be accepted.”
Nxesi says it would be unconstitutional to ban the employment of foreign nationals.
“We will continue engaging them. We are expecting that they will make an input to this process as we are finalising the issues of the quotas. And I must put it very clear, in terms of the law, we can’t ban the employment of foreign nationals, this constitution of this country, will not allow us to do. We can limit it, and control it, that is what we are trying to do. “
Minister Thulas Nxesi’s briefing on the Draft National Labour Migration Policy:
