South Africa commits to hasten implementation of labour agreement

Mochotlhi said she was encouraged by Saphetha’s sense of direction so far, and that the teams will work together to “shape and steer the department in the preferred direction”.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) have committed to hastening the implementation of a labor agreement.

The department made the commitment during a meeting held on Monday with Nehawu officials in a bid to strengthen its working relations with the trade union.

Led by the department's Acting Director-General, Deborah Mochotlhi, and Nehawu's General Secretary Zola Saphetha, the meeting was necessitated by the need to improve conditions for workers, as per the agreement reached between the two parties.

"The meeting was a continuation of the engagements between the two parties to implement clauses of the signed agreement following a labor strike earlier in the year. The two parties agreed to the speedy implementation of the agreement in the interest of both parties.

"Furthermore, there was an agreement that the agreed to task team should rather be reduced in size to three members per side. The task team will then take forward the outstanding work, including issues surrounding the workers in Kakamas, and reconvene with the bigger team in two weeks for an update," the department said in a statement.

Mochotlhi said she was encouraged by Saphetha's sense of direction so far, and that the teams will work together to "shape and steer the department in the preferred direction".

The meeting also emphasized that the department is central to the basic needs of South Africans, hence it needs to do more to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

"The country could fail if DWS does not deliver on its mandate. In the same vein, the participation of the youth and women remains critical," Mochotlhi said.

(With inputs from South Africa Government Press Release)