The KwaZulu-Natal Economic Council, which consists of four social
partners namely: government, civil society, organised labour and organised business recently held its first public roundtable discussion. The purpose of this roundtable discussion was to deliberate on issues that affect the economic growth of KwaZulu-Natal. The topic was “Striking the balance between industrial relations and investments”
Participating in the panel were Dr Steven Friedman â€" thought leader ; Mr Chris Gina â€" organised labour; MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs â€" Mr Michael Mabuyakhulu; Mr Moses Tembe â€" organised business, Mr Sithembiso Madlala â€" civil society and Ms Bronwyn Nielsen moderator from CNBC Africa. MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu opened the discussion by stating, “KwaZulu-Natal needs to emphasize an agenda where all social players can work together”. He added, “It is important that all players work to improve relationships from an adversarial to a cooperative relationship in order to create an environment that is attractive for investment. KwaZulu-Natal has shown robust growth in
comparison to the South African growth and has the potential to have, “a better story to tell”.
Mr Sithembiso Madlala emphasized that a pragmatic approach was required. He said, “Civil society is a critical partner in growth in KwaZuluNatal and should be part of any  decision making of note”. He added that we need to empower people and close the gap for SMMEs, especially in the so called informal sector, to enter the mainstream economy as they were essential in growing the economy.
Moses Tembe emphasized that, “Unless we begin to foster a genuine relationship we would lose the plot.” He added that we need to address the ‘game plan’ which is to attract foreign investment . In addition of necessity, he said, “Partnerships must be aligned with the economic policy strategies that the country has put in place”. Mr Chris Gina emphasized that all stakeholders have a task to deliver on their mandate.
It is imperative that we lay a foundation for investors and that we exploit the opportunities that
are available. However a strong focus on job creation, skills development and productivity is required with an emphasis on ensuring that wages paid to employees overcome issues faced by the ‘working poor’.
Dr Steven Friedman commented, “If we did not have collective bargaining and labour relations our situation would be worse.” He added that it is important to question how the issue of poverty and inequality can be addressed while preserving the economy. He said, “It is important that tough negotiation takes place and we need to go beyond social partnerships in order to make any progress.” The question to ask is, “What am I prepared to give and what do I expect to get in return?”
MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu concluded that the provincial government intended to make it easier to do business by reducing red tape and by creating a platform for negotiation.
However, each partner had roles and responsibilities in order to create balance and build the economy.
Twitter was abuzz with commentary on the discussion, which was reported as “A sound debate on how labour and employers can compromise for the sake of the country’s economy” by attendee Sihle Mavuso.