Share

Why put skill over life?

Labour Q&A with Terry Bell

Fin24 user Mdu Hlomuka disagrees with the "low pay is better than no pay" statement and seeks answers. He writes:

Mr (Terry) Bell's assertion of low pay better than no pay is incorrect as his assertions are based on Dr (Blade) Nzimande's comments.
 
1. Why must workers not be paid living wages?
2. Why do we put knowledge over life, i.e pay more the educated than those not so educated due to circumstances?
3. Free market system exploits resources and people and how does that help anyone?
4. Does he (Bell) believe the capitalist model is the best model, cause in theory there is no model that is perfect?

Fundamentally all models are perfect depending on who you are selling them to, but because we are a diverse nation we have to find a balance in all.

Bell responds:

Mdu, you misunderstood me. I did not support the contention that low pay is better that no pay. That was, in fact, the implication in the statement made by Blade Nzimande.

I personally support the idea that every worker deserves a decent, living wage.  And I have never supported the idea that levels of education should determine levels of pay. And I, again personally, contend that the free market system is anything but free and provides no real answers.

As to economic models, it seems to me that the present one of competition and the maximisation of profit has probably outlived its usefulness and I am in the business of encouraging discussion and debate about where we go from here.

Regards

- Fin24

* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyFin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.5%
Rand - Pound
24.02
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.53
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
904.37
+0.8%
Palladium
1,014.65
+1.3%
Gold
2,205.79
+0.5%
Silver
24.61
-0.1%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,281
+0.9%
All Share
74,458
+0.7%
Resource 10
57,014
+2.4%
Industrial 25
103,960
+0.7%
Financial 15
16,486
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders