This essay will discuss and compare the implemented and proposed fiscal policies by the South African Government with those proposed by trade unions. It will specifically focus on the policies proposed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Government. The essay will further analyse the impacts of these policies based on their affordability, impact on economic growth, unemployment and whether they will support economic inclusion.
A trade union is an establishment of workers who have collaborated to achieve common goals in the workforce and economy. The aims of COSATU are: to fight for employees’ rights through social and economic justice for all employees; to understand the economy, how it affects employees and devising alternative policies on the structure of the economy to benefit all those employed; to seek just living standards, fair working conditions for all those employed and social security. (Congress Of South African Trade Unions, 2006)
On February 24, 2014, the South African Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan delivered the 2014 Budget Speech, in which it is highlighted that South Africa’s economic growth is targeted at 5 percent per annum. It is further highlighted that the government’s plan to achieve this target is through public investment, a tax incentive to encourage youth employment, improve the quality of education and further investment in renewable energy and to support the adjustment to a low-carbon economy. After the 2008/2009 Global economic crisis – in which countries most countries have not yet recovered from, including Germany and the United Kingdom, whom are South Africa’s major trading partners – the economy still remains in a recession. Thus, in order to coun...
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... 2006. COSATU CONSTITUTION, s.l.: COSATU.
Congress of South African Trade Unions, 2010. A Growth Path towards Full Employment, Pretoria: Congress of South African Trade Unions.
Kohler, M. et al., 2010. Economics: Global and Southern African Perspectives. 2nd ed. Cape Town: Pearson Education, South Africa.
Muller, S., 2013. Mail and Guardian. [Online]
Available at: http://mg.co.za/article/2013-11-20-the-uncertain-benefits-and-costs-of-the-youth-employment-incentive
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Republic of South Africa, 2013. Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.
Republic of South Africa, 2014. 2014 Budget Speech, Pretoria: National Treasury.
Republic of South Africa, 2014. 2014 Budget Speech, Pretoria: National Treasury.
Republic of South Africa, 2014. Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter 2013, Pretoria: Statistics South Africa.
Previous to Margaret Thatcher, the government had always seen their main focus to be the achievement of ‘full employment’, a solution which in times of 1979 could prove somewhat impossible. The new Conservative government saw their future, as one of creating more jobs and encouraging greater success in competitive product markets, this was in an attempt to achieve full employment. The main priority of the new Conservati...
With the right to strike, workers can avoid complete dependence on the employer. By having the right to strike, a better balance can be achieved between the power of workers and companies. Without the right to strike, the number of governments prohibiting industrial action would increase more and more, punishing people who dare to strike. The majority of strikes are for wages and to improve working conditions. Without the threat of a strike, companies will be able to increase their profits, while at the same time worsening working conditions. The consequences of the legal strike are not limited to the scope of the legal-labor relationship between the parties, but they affect the Social Security relationship, as well as being able to result in collective relations between the conveners and other collective subjects and entrepreneurs and business associations affected by the
“Future of Zimbabwe's Economy Remains Uncertain.” COMTEX News Network. Xinhua News Agency 18 May. 2001. p1008138h5434. Gale. Web. 3 Nov. 2009.
For majority sections of the workforce in wage and salaried employment, collective bargaining is still supposed to increase the power of the workers and trade unions to negotiate better working conditions and wages of employment. The unions have high bargaining power if both the input and output of labour is not substitutable and if the proportionate cost of labour is low. The purpose of collective bargaining by trade unions is to secure better and fair wages and benefits for their members and to ensure parity across different categories of employees.
Harris, L. 1991. The Mixed economy of a democratic South Africa. Investment Analysts Journal: 32-41.
“Lack of adequate income or the assets needed to generate income. Lack of employment. Without access to land or the ability to grow their own food, access to dependable wage labor emerges as a major factor defining poverty. Those who do not have secure jobs are regarded as poor- South Africa 1998. Poor have numerous small, often dangerous jobs, rather than one job” (Chambers, 1983).
Trading Economics. (2013, december 31). South Africa GDP Annual Growth Rate. Retrieved may 13, 2014, from Trading Economics: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/gdp-growth-annual
In order for any country to survive in comparison to another developed country they must be able to grow and sustain a healthy and flourishing economy. This paper is designed to give a detailed insight of economic growth and the sectors that influence economic growth. Economic growth in a country is essential to the reduction of poverty, without such reduction; poverty would continue to increase therefore economic growth is inevitable. Through economic growth, it is also an aid in the reduction of the unemployment rate and it also helps to reduce the budget deficit of the government. Economic growth can also encourage better living standards for all it is citizens because with economic growth there are improvements in the public sectors, educational and healthcare facilities. Through economic growth social spending can also be increased without an increase of taxes.
South Africa’s economic growth improved enormously with the shift to a democracy and has been reasonably stable throughout the democratic era with growth being at 3.2% a year on average from 1994 to 2012.this has resulted in the transformation of the economy from the GDP of $136 billion in 1994 to $384 billion in the year 2012. This was a report from (The Economic Society of South African) don over a period of 20 years of country’s economy since the democracy began, from page 86 of the 193 paged documents, based on data given by the World Bank’s development indicators released in February 2014.
The 1994 elections implemented democracy into South Africa’s government. This allowed for many parties including the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), the South African Communist Party (SACP), and other parties to run for office (Southall 1994). With these elections, the ANC was able to convert “itself from a movement of liberation into the predominant party of power” (Southall 1994: 643). Over the past twenty years of democracy the ANC has retained this position of power and currently holds the highest percentage out of all the parties in South Africa’s parliament. However, even though South Africa has transformed into a democratically run government there has been many political and socio-economic challenges that have threatened South Africa over its twenty years. Three prominent problems that the ANC and South Africa has dealt with and currently deals with are the economy, public health, and the high-levels of corruption.
This paper analyses the causes and challenges that the South African agricultural sector faces regarding the increasing unemployment in the sector and how it has an overall affect on the total unemployment rate in South Africa. The following statistics have been taken from the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The analysis of these statistics shows that unemployment in the agricultural sector has been increasing over the years, which has contributed to the overall unemployment rate increasing in South Africa. This research shows that there is a direct link between the overall unemployment rate increasing throughout the country and the unemployment in the agricultural sector. This is due to undeveloped rural areas and the policies directed at the agricultural sector.
Adverse working conditions, Limited employment options and options for vertical mobility have resulted in unification of workers so as to get their demands met. Employees have their unions and employers their bargaining association and there is a constant tussle to establish the relations between these two sides. Rapid changes in methods and techniques of production and government legislation have also helped improve worker welfare. Thus government, employees and employers constitute the key stakeholders in industrial relations. Ancillary stakeholders include employers’ associations, trade unions and tribunals. Industrial relations if they function well will help reduce industrial disputes, generate High morale, Mental revolution 4) New programs. & 5) Reduce wastage. The drawbacks of industrial relations include Commutative class struggle, Misleading of workers by TU Leaders, Physical fight between management and workers, by-passing legal methods by trade unions among
The South African’s future economy cannot be considered from the point of its interior causes and dynamics alone , for South African cannot get away the act upon of the world economy or its place in the Southern Africa region. On the other hand the new economic system has to be resilient sufficient to adjust to changes in world markets.
...ca, that can poduce the supply that will satisfy the demand. This will increase africa’s dependance on south africa and increase south africa’s political and economic influence on Africa.
Geography: South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is a country settled at the southern tip of Africa. It has 2,798 kilometers (1,739 mi) of lineation that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north lie the neighboring countries of Republic of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland; and inside it lies Lesotho, an enclave enclosed by South African territory. African nation is the 25th-largest country within the world by acreage, and with near fifty three million individuals, is the world's 24th-most thickly settled nation.