The Department of Labour says increasing minimum wages as a countermeasure to poverty and inequality could reduce the number of strikes in SA. The 2016 Industrial Action report has found that the labour market had experienced a 4.7% hike in working days lost to strikes compared with 2015. The labour economy lost R161m due to the work stoppages, which were mainly over wages, bonuses and other demands linked to compensation, affecting in the main the community, manufacturing and transport industries. The department’s acting director-general Vuyo Mafata said a stable labour force and fair labour practices were needed to attract investors and inspire economic growth. In February, employers and trade unions made an undertaking to implement the Code of Good Practice: Collective Bargaining, Industrial Action and Picketing, which would shift the tone of collective bargaining and industrial conflict in SA. "More work stoppages were experienced during the ‘strike season’ that are the second a...
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