NATIONAL NEWS - A virtual meeting today chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa with social partners represented in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), agreed that the health of South Africans should be the overriding concern.
The meeting attended by representatives from government, business, labour and the community constituency agreed it that it was therefore necessary to intensify the public health response to the pandemic.
"Priority should be given to measures to contain the spread of the virus and to minimise loss of life," says president Ramaphosa.
The social partners also agreed that South Africa’s economy and society will be fundamentally changed once the epidemic has been eradicated, and that it is imperative that South African citizens and businesses be protected from its adverse impact.
The social partners of NEDLAC were unanimous that they needed to lend their full support to proposed economic recovery measures and social support to support society’s most vulnerable.
“In bracing ourselves for the worst economic fallout, South Africa is not alone. By most predictions there will be a global economic slowdown this year, and it is inevitable that emerging markets and developing country economies will be negatively impacted,” President Ramaphosa said.
He said while they recognise the need to resume economic activity as soon as possible, NEDLAC partners expressed their appreciation of government’s position that lifting the nationwide lockdown too abruptly could result in dire consequences.
They agreed that a risk-adjusted approach was necessary in determining the country’s response.
The President said there is a need for business and labour to deepen cooperation to ensure social protection for workers during the lockdown.
They discussed ways to improve the provision of social support to vulnerable citizens and communities, considered various suggestions on scaling up financial support to vulnerable households and agreed there was a need for greater consistency from financial institutions such as banks when it came to relief measures to heavily indebted and struggling clients.
The social partners agreed to continue working together to address problems with the implementation of the various support and relief measures.
“At a period of such difficulty for South Africa it is immensely gratifying that we are able to engage openly and constructively at NEDLAC. This structure has served us well throughout the democratic era and will continue to play a key role in bringing social partners together,” President Ramaphosa said.
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