In a climate of tough economic
conditions, escalating retrenchments
and employer-union confrontation,
NUMSA held a controversial strike
ballot. On 31 July 1992 the industry’s
last big national strike of the century
began. By the following week, some
80 000 NUMSA members were on a
strike that would last a month.
The world had been through tumultuous times with Mikhail Gorbachev
and perestroika and glasnost and had witnessed the crumbling of
communism and the Soviet Union, and the rise of Boris Yeltsin. Now,
also freed of apartheid and sanctions, South African business began to
look outward. Those entrusted by the government with driving the
economy forsook the short-term populist path of socialism for the
richer rewards of free market pragmatism.
Fundamental changes took place in business, labour and skills
development. A new national employer confederation, Business Unity
South Africa, was formed, with SEIFSA as a founder member. The
National Economic Forum and the National Manpower Commission
were merged to create the National Economic, Development and
Labour Council (NEDLAC). The New Labour Relations Act transforming
labour law and industrial relations was implemented. The South African
Qualifications Act introducing a National Qualifications Framework was
followed in 1998 by the Skills Development Act and a system of sectoral
education and training authorities known as SETAs.
An industrial relations New Deal between employers and unions gave the new
century a bright beginning. Out went the confrontational style of bargaining,
to be replaced by greater mutual understanding and a more conciliatory
bargaining approach. The new focus was on speedier resolution of problems
and the achievement of longer-term gains across a broader range of issues.
Looking ahead, Angus foresaw a situation where SEIFSA would need to
continue to expand its services to members on all fronts.
“The future of SEIFSA will depend more and more on offering members
totally professional, multi-faceted business services, in addition to the broad
range of services that it already provides,” he said..
Looking back on his tenure as SEIFSA Executive Director, Angus identified
four particularly significant developments:
• A new style of negotiations between employer and trade union
representatives on wages, conditions of employment and other
issues. The New Deal initiated in 1999 moved away from the
drawn-out, confrontational approach that bedevilled relations
between the parties for more than 50 years.
• The emphasis in education and training moved from only artisan
apprenticeships to the development of skills across a far broader
range of activities.
• The funds division of SEIFSA was transformed in 1994 into the
Metal Industries Benefit Funds Administrators (Mibfa), a Section 21
company with equal employer and trade union representation on
its Board of Management.
• The substantial expansion of SEIFSA products and services from a
hitherto limited range of services in industrial relations and an even
more restricted range in education and training.
Since 1994, industry unions have had equal representation with
employers on the Board of Trustees of the Metal Industries Benefit
Funds Administrators (Mibfa), a Section 21 company controlling the
industry’s pension, provident, sick pay and permanent disability funds.
The combined market value of the funds is around R25 billion.
Mbeki and the New Partnership for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
After five years of unfaltering nation building, Mandela stepped aside
for Thabo Mbeki. Despite controversy over HIV/Aids and Zimbabwe,
Mbeki stayed the economic course. He steadfastly promoted black
empowerment and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(NEPAD). A disquieting trend for many business leaders was increasing
State intervention and an outpouring of regulatory legislation across a
broad spectrum of business activity. Then SEIFSA Executive Director,
Brian Angus, who warned in 1999 of serious economic consequences if
the Government did not act to halt the interventionist trend, repeated
SEIFSA’s concern in 2003.The rising cost of compliance, he warned,
was hampering growth and job creation and making South Africa less
competitive..
Brian Angus
SEIFSA Executive Director: 1987 - 2008
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