CEE REPORT AN INDICTMENT ON CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY - ANC
The African National Congress (ANC) calls on the private sector to fully implement employment equity and affirmative action at workplace in response to the newly-released Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) Annual Report 2010 - 1011, which reflect embarrassingly high statistical race disparities in South Africa.
We concur with sentiments expressed by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant that the huge and disturbing inequality levels between blacks and whites, are a clear show of a slow pace of transformation at workplace. The fact that - in our 17th year of constitutional democracy - blacks still account for 16.9 percent of employees at top management level while whites account for 73.1 percent - nearly six times the Economically Active Population (EAP) - is an indictment on the business leaders for their failure to embrace progressive change in South Africa.
That the representation of African women and people with disabilities only stands at 0.8 percent, paints a bleak picture of the job market demographics, something that is not in line with the ANC-led Government's policy which seeks to effect gender and disability parity.
This flagrant disregard of labour policies by captains of industry when it comes to employment equity and affirmative action, clearly shows the lack of the will to close the huge racial gulf at workplace. It also means that South Africa may take many more decades to redress past decades of socio-economic imbalances created by apartheid, than envisaged - a frightening reality. With large numbers of black graduates roaming the streets unemployed, we therefore, call on business to open the job market by training and mentoring blacks who may not necessarily have the working experience.
In line with its 2009 Election Manifesto, the ANC is committed to building a more equitable, sustainable and inclusive economic growth path, centred on the creation of decent work opportunities and sustainable livelihoods. We firmly believe that this can be realised through business-Government collaborative efforts to ensure that the majority of our people benefit and participate meaningfully in all sectors of our economy. To address non-compliance of policy on employment equity and affirmative action by business - particularly the private sector - Government must come up with regulations to ensure implementation.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, August 4 2011
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