BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi has lauded the engagement of Industry stakeholders to find better solutions for working together.
The Minister was speaking at the 2023 Labour Seminar, hosted by the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Council (CMAC) at the Happy Valley Hotel.
The Minister acknowledged the good cooperation between all industry stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. He mentioned that it affected the working environment, forcing companies to adapt and introduce things like remote working, in as much as it also resulted in mass layoffs and loss of income for many others.
“One wonders how workplace disciplinary hearings were conducted during the pandemic, if at all. In its 22 years of existence, CMAC has made great strides in managing its efficiencies,” the Minister said in acknowledging the good work of CMAC.
Minister Buthelezi revealed that CMAC had improved its settlement rates from 45% in December 2021 to 45% in December 2022, against a target of 60%.
The Minister added that there were still improvements to be made.
“The Commission still requires improvement in the achievement of its arbitration benchmarks, and we are hopeful that the recently signed MoU with the CCMA will contribute to Commission development, operational efficiencies, as well as improvements which will ensure the achievement of the mandate so that the CMAC client receive efficient service,” said the Minister.
The Minister also expressed hope that the partnership between CMAC and the Commission for the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) of South Africa will be a model of emulation for other countries which wish to cooperate in improving the conciliation, arbitration and mediation practices to improve their success rates. He further congratulated the Commission for engaging with all stakeholders in the industry.
