28 June 2000
The organised labour, business and government constituencies at Nedlac will in the next few weeks nominate representatives to a steering committee which will be tasked with formulating a new occupational health and safety policy for the country.
The Department of Labour last week tabled a request for Nedlac to oversee the establishment of the committee. The tripartite structure will play a key role in the implementation of a cabinet decision to integrate and harmonise occupational health and safety (OHS) competencies across government, announced by the Minister of Labour recently.
Different aspects of occupational health and safety are currently administered by the Departments of Labour, Minerals and Energy, and Health. Department of Labour Director General, Advocate Rams Ramashia, was appointed to chair a committee of Directors General from the three Departments to give effect to the decision.
A recent meeting between Ramashia and a Cosatu delegation concluded that government and the union federation share a common vision of an integrated occupational health and safety policy and administration in South Africa and the process to give effect to this vision.
Ramashia met the Cosatu delegation, which was led by Cosatu deputy general secretary Tony Ehrenreich and included representatives of the federation's affiliates NUM, Numsa and Ceppawu, on behalf of the Minister of Labour, to discuss government's approach to the harmonization of OHS policy.
An earlier meeting between the Department of Labour and a National Union of Mineworkers delegation led by general secretary Gwede Mantashe also reached consensus on a common approach to OHS.
The government and Cosatu representatives agreed that current workplace health and safety standards and high accident rates were unacceptable and that all stakeholders needed to work together to protect the health and safety of workers.
Cosatu agreed with government that the current fragmentation of occupational health and safety competencies across different government departments was not in the interests of workers or the country as a whole. It was agreed that a comprehensive OHS policy framework and strategy was needed which would be applicable to all the country's workplaces. Cosatu said this vision was in line with the federation's own policy on OHS and would contribute to the maximum utilization of resources and the improvement of workers' health and safety.
Cosatu welcomed government's commitment to involve key stakeholders in the process of developing a new OHS policy, including through the establishment of a tripartite structure involving representatives of Nedlac's government, business and labour constituencies. Government was of the view that labour and business had considerable experience in the area of OHS and that their involvement would enrich and enhance the outcome of the policy development process. Further meetings with other key stakeholders would be held to discuss the process.
A new OHS policy framework would lay the basis for any new legislative initiatives and institutional arrangements. The conclusion of the policy process would therefore precede any institutional restructuring across the different government departments arising from the new integrated approach. In the interim, government remained committed to continue its efforts to ensure healthy and safe workplaces in the context of the common vision of integration and harmonization.
The parties agreed that the new integrated approach would draw on the best practice and expertise developed within the different Departments in the administration and enforcement of OHS.
Internal transformation
Cosatu has also expressed support for the Department's efforts to transform its inspection services to provide an integrated one-stop inspection service. The integrated inspection service includes generalist and specialist inspections and will ensure greater levels of efficiency and efficacy in the enforcement of OHS and other labour legislation. Cosatu said this approach was in line with the approach which unions themselves had adopted in addressing workers' concerns.
The federation expressed concern that individuals opposed to the Department's transformation efforts had attempted to falsely claim Cosatu support for their attempts to block the transformation process.
Issued by:
The Director General of the Department of Labour, Advocate Rams Ramashia
The Deputy General Secretary of Cosatu, Tony Ehrenreich
For more information contact:
Phenyo Nonqane (Department of Labour) at 082 903 0120
Siphiwe Mgcina (Cosatu) at 082 821 7456