Election of Chairperson; DEL Annual Performance Plan 2024/25 (with Minister & Deputy Ministers)

Employment and Labour APP        Mr Boyce Makhosonke Maneli was elected as Committee Chairperson. The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) then briefed the committee on its Annual Performance Plan for 2024/25. Delays in the modernisation of ICT were amongst some of the risks pointed out. The blueprint of the ICT Infrastructure assessment recommendations would be developed and implemented. There would be weekly monitoring on project progress. The unreliability of the Inspection & Enforcement Services performance information was seen as a risk. Another risk was non-compliance by employers with labour legislation. The department would leverage on existing internal and external partnerships to ensure improvement in advocacy, inspection and enforcement programmes. On Public Employment Services, the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) and Employment Services Amendment Bill was to be finalised and approved for submission to cabinet. The key risk in this programme was insufficient placement of registered work-seekers in registered opportunities. DEL would participate in the Pathway Management Network announced by the President with the UIF, other departments and entities, the private sector and NGOs providing a range of work seeker services. The draft National Employment Policy (NEP) stakeholder consultations would be conducted after approval by cabinet. For Labour Market Policy and Industrial Relations programme, the key risk identified is the inability to extend collective agreements to non-parties within 120 working days where parties are not representative, and within 60 working days where parties are representative. There would be amendments to the Labour Relations Amendment Bill, Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Bill, and National Minimum Wage Act. The major challenge of the Supported Employment Enterprises (SEE) remained deficit budget, largely driven by cost of employment. The major priority is to maximise revenue from the sales of goods and services to augment the grant from National Treasury. The key identified risk is the inability to generate work opportunities. The department would stabilise SEE operations to optimize production output, try to acquire new customers and improve marketing. Committee members asked about the DEL plan for the UIF and Compensation Fund which had failed audits for the last 10 years; why it was cutting the budget of the CCMA which has been the shining jewel of the department; joint participation with stakeholders for effective inspections; the lack of human capital to implement inspection and enforcement services; DEL’s opinion about the view that the national minimum wage should be scrapped so more work could be created; and the continuation of the Labour Activation Programme.