NALEDI+Newsletter+September+7,+2005

NALEDI National Labour & Economic Development Institute

E-Newsletter 7 September, 2005 Vol.2 Number.5


 * **News –** **New Director and board members**
 * **Projects & Publications – Pension Fund reform, Constructing an official poverty line, Skills do not create Jobs and Unflinching labour.**
 * **Calendar of Events – Month of September 2005**


 * NEWS**
 * //New Director and Board members//**

Oupa Bodibe has been appointed Director at NALEDI. Bodibe brings extensive experience to the organisation having previously occupied strategic positions at COSATU’s secretariat desk and the parliamentary office which actively engages and lobbies parliament. He succeeds Ravi Naidoo who stepped down at the end of February 2005 to join the Department of Trade and Industry. Furthermore five new board members were appointed to replace the outgoing members at last year’s final board meeting. The new board members are Noluthando Sibiya (NEHAWU), Silumko Nondwangu (NUMSA), Anton Roskam (Cheadle Thompson and Hayson), Franz Baleni (NUM), Alinah Rantsolase (COSATU). The new members make up a board of 12 members.


 * Annual report available online, visit [|www.naledi.org.za]**

Reforming the retirement funds industry is a welcomed intervention that seeks to redress embedded inefficiencies and abnormalities by amputating entrenched privileges. This initiative will raise the awe of the present profiteers who, from a risk and reward perspective, disproportionately benefit from the industry, writes Pension Funds and MNC Strategy project manager, Devan Pillay http://www.naledi.org.za/docs/pensionfunds.pdf
 * PROJECTS & PUBLICATIONS**
 * //1. Reforming the Pension Funds industry//**

This discussion paper explores how a conceptual understanding of poverty, definition and measurement of poverty, has far reaching implications for the success or failure of anti-poverty policies. The paper considers three interrelated issues in order to contribute to the debate. It brings to the fore the current understanding and measurement of poverty during the apartheid era and the post-1994 democratic. Secondly it considers developments at the international level that are relevant to South Africa are dealt with. Lastly issues that need consideration in constructing and adopting an official poverty line are raised. __http://www.naledi.org.za/docs/povertylineW2.pdf__
 * //2. Constructing an Official Poverty Line in South Africa//**


 * //3. Constructing an Official Poverty Line: Issues for consideration//**

Building on from the above discussion document, this paper raises questions on what implications exist for labour with regard to the definition of poverty, with specific reference to wage setting and how it would impact on the question of the “national minimum wage campaign”. The paper concludes that the setting of an absolute poverty line has to address the question of whether we wish to have a poverty datum line that provides for absolute survivalist necessities, or whether it supports the aspirations of our society to provide people with a basic quality of life. __http://www.naledi.org.za/docs/povertylineI1.pdf__


 * //4. Skills Do Not Create Jobs and Jobs do not create Skills.//**

The seminar on Understanding and Responding to Unemployment in South Africa by the Alternative Information Development Center (AIDC) was held in Cape Town on August 12, 2005. Mandy Moussouris of the NALEDI Skills Development and Industrial Strategy Unit presented under the “Evaluating Current Strategies for Dealing with Unemployment”, and says evidence from studies shows that “Skills Do Not Create Jobs and Jobs do not create Skill”. __http://www.naledi.org.za/docs/SkillsandJobs.pdf__


 * //5. Get Used to Unflinching Labour//**

The second trimester of this year’s calendar has been marked by a soaring number of industrial actions. This article written at the time of the strike waves and published in one of the daily newspapers raises some of the issues triggering the strikes. It clearly suggests that there are a number of issues that need debate and one of them is astronomical pay for management which has not relationship to company performance. Further such highly pay for executives coupled with low increases for ordinary workers have worsened the apartheid wage gap. __http://www.naledi.org.za__

//Date: 28-30 September 2005// || //Event: ALRN and African Social Observatory meeting// ||
 * CALENDAR OF EVENTS**

African Labour Research Network (ALRN) members will meet in Zambia for the networks general strategic meeting and to discuss the 2005 research agenda of the [|African Social Observatory]. A training workshop on research is also scheduled as part of ongoing capacity building for the labour movement in Africa.

Note: * Access to the pdf attachments requires connection to the internet. * To unsubscribe from this newsletter send an email with the word “unsubscribe” in the “subject” line. ||
 * Contact NALEDI:** Telephone: +27 11 403 21 22 Fax: +27 11 403 19 48 Email: buhle@naledi.org.za Website: [|www.naledi.org.za]
 * Contact NALEDI:** Telephone: +27 11 403 21 22 Fax: +27 11 403 19 48 Email: buhle@naledi.org.za Website: [|www.naledi.org.za]