Fundamental skills

A year-long programme aimed at educating small businesses on effective labour and employee relations is set to be rolled out across South Africa.

The programme will focus on overcoming conflict, dealing with sexual harassment, developing effective negotiation skills, managing incapacity, instilling discipline and building workplace relations, according to Bizcommunity.

The South African Informal Traders Alliance (Saita) and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration plan to reach about 20 000 workers across the informal economy via the initiative.

‘This is an exceptionally important achievement for Saita as it accelerates our goal of formalising the informal sector as part of our commitment to the International Labour Organisation’s R204 programme,’ says Paul Bester, Saita’s national director of informal sector support. The R204 acts as a guideline to formalising informal economies. ‘It is essential for the informal sector, as an incubator for jobs and entrepreneurship, to possess the fundamental skills required to manage employees effectively,’ he says.

‘This preserves and protects an employees’ rights, ties the sector more closely to the laws of the country and, importantly, also provides the foundation for their overall integration into the formal economy.’