Publications
Partners
Cape Town - The government does not share the "judgement" that controversial draft amendments to labour legislation and the Immigration Act are "anti-job creation," Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Thursday.
He was responding to questions at a media briefing at parliament on whether the amendments might be revisited in the interests of job creation and creating an enabling environment for employment.
Davies said this depended on a judgement as to whether the legislation being proposed was anti-job creation or not.
"I think that in a number of respects that's not the judgement that we share, that it is like that, otherwise we wouldn't have passed it through cabinet," he said.
Amendments to the Immigration Act included a number of proposals that would allow imports of skills to take place more efficiently than they were at the moment.
"And obviously, with a view to transferring those skills to local people as well.
"So, I think it depends on whether the judgement is there and that's not our judgement that that's the case," Davies said.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant told the briefing the process was currently before the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).
That legislation had not yet been tabled in parliament.
"We're waiting for the Nedlac processes to be finalised and then we will send it back to the cabinet and after that it will go to parliament," Oliphant said.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said the agricultural sector had been particularly concerned about the proposed legislation.
She called on the sector to make its inputs and ensure any comments it had reached the government.
"Government is now at that stage where we are consulting, and we would really like their imputs and their concerns."
If there were "certain truths, we will look at it and if there are certain perceptions we'll really like to clarify it", Joemat-Pettersson said.
He was responding to questions at a media briefing at parliament on whether the amendments might be revisited in the interests of job creation and creating an enabling environment for employment.
Davies said this depended on a judgement as to whether the legislation being proposed was anti-job creation or not.
"I think that in a number of respects that's not the judgement that we share, that it is like that, otherwise we wouldn't have passed it through cabinet," he said.
Amendments to the Immigration Act included a number of proposals that would allow imports of skills to take place more efficiently than they were at the moment.
"And obviously, with a view to transferring those skills to local people as well.
"So, I think it depends on whether the judgement is there and that's not our judgement that that's the case," Davies said.
Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant told the briefing the process was currently before the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).
That legislation had not yet been tabled in parliament.
"We're waiting for the Nedlac processes to be finalised and then we will send it back to the cabinet and after that it will go to parliament," Oliphant said.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said the agricultural sector had been particularly concerned about the proposed legislation.
She called on the sector to make its inputs and ensure any comments it had reached the government.
"Government is now at that stage where we are consulting, and we would really like their imputs and their concerns."
If there were "certain truths, we will look at it and if there are certain perceptions we'll really like to clarify it", Joemat-Pettersson said.
