The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) will meet with President Jacob Zuma this afternoon to discuss the state of the South African economy.  This meeting will be attended by all social partners including organised labour, business and government with a view to make commitments on addressing the challenges faced by the economy.
 
The invitation received from Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel explains that the meeting will aim “to discuss the state of the economy, including the external and internal challenges that South Africa faces, with a view to identifying what each social partner can do on its own and in partnership with others to strengthen employment performance and economic growth.”
 
“The FEDUSA President [Koos Bezuidenhout] and I have agreed to raise three specific issues at the meeting,” said FEDUSA General Secretary Dennis George.  “We will focus on how our labour market is responsive to developments in collective bargaining, the issue of strike violence and intimidation, as well as matters that can assist with economic growth in our country,” he explained.
 
FEDUSA will repeat its calls for greater regulation in collective bargaining and respect for the institutions designed to make collective bargaining work.  It will also look at innovative and alternative ways to conduct collective bargaining and resolve disputes.  The Federation will condemn strike violence and intimidation which was again prevalent in the mining and transport strikes, while making proposals towards enhancing economic growth to ensure prosperity and job creation in South Africa.
 
“We are glad that President Zuma sees the value of social dialogue, especially at this moment in time,” said George.  “This is surely a pivotal moment in our history and FEDUSA will be ready to be a constructive role-player in any possible way to address the challenges faced by our beautiful country,” he concluded.