Employment and Labour Deputy Minister, Nemadzinga-Tshabalala has called for stronger social dialogue and regional cooperation to ensure that productivity growth translates into dece nt work, inclusive economic growth and improved livelihoods a cross Southern Africa.
Deputy Minister was delivering the keynote address at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) symposium on advancing productivity and decent work through social dialogue in Southern Africa convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Productivity SA in Menlyn, Pretoria 03 September 2026.
The symposium brought together representatives of govern ment, organised labour, organised business, the community const itue ncy, social partners and delegates from across Africa to de liberate on the role of social dialo gue in advanc ing productivity , employmen t and decent wo r k.
Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said the decisions taken through social dialogue h ave a dir ect impact on the lives and well-being of citizens, making i t essential that policy, budgets and resources are translated into meaningful improvements for communities.
“Many lives depend on the decisions that will be taken today. This must be the core concern in driving our efforts," she said.
She highlighted the importance of the rel ationship between policy, budgets, finance and impact, saying that legislation and policy commitments must be supported by adequate resources if t he y are to result in tangible improvement s in people's lives.
“Social dialogue must be at the very centre of robust, evidence-based policymaking," said Nemadzinga-Tshabalala.
She explained that social dialogue provides policymakers with an opportunity to understand the realities fac ed by workers on th e sho p fl oor, small and medium-sized enterpr ises and young people entering the labour market.
Accor ding to the Deputy Minister, social dialogue serves three critical functions. First, it builds legitimacy and shared ownership of pol icies. Second, it brings grassroot s knowledge and lived experiences into poli cymaking. Third, it provides a mechanism for fairly managing difficult trade-offs, incl uding those between automation and emp loyment, short-term costs and long-term capa bili ty, and economic growth and inclusion.
“Every productivity i ntervention involves trade-offs. Social dialogue is the mechanism through which those trade-offs are negotiated rather than simpl y imposed on the party w ith the least power at the ta ble," she said.
Deputy Minister Nemadzinga-Tshabalala further emphasised that productivi ty should not be viewed simply as an economic statistic or a m atter for econom ists.
“Productivity is the fou ndation on which decent jobs are created, on which businesse s remain competitive in an unforgiving global economy, on which household incomes rise, and on which the promise of social justice becomes real rather than theoretical," she said.
She identified persiste nt unempl oyment, particularly among young peop le, skills mismatches, informality, digitisation an d the transition to a green economy as some of the key challenges confronting countries across the r egion. She said these challenges are interconnected and reflect the broader difficulty of generating sufficient productive and decent work at a pace that is bot h inclusive and su stainable.
The Deputy Minister argued that productivity growth can help change this trajecto ry by enabling businesses to increas e output, strengthen competitiveness, support higher wages, expand inves tment and strengthen the tax base nee ded to fund p ublic services.
De puty Ministe r Nemadzinga-Tshabalala commended NEDLAC, the IL O and Productivity SA for convening the symposium and r eaffirmed government's commitme nt to strengthening institutions of s ocial dialogue.
S he said the Department of Employment and Labour remains committed to working with all social partners to ensure that productivity, competitiveness and decent work advance together, rather than at one an other's expense.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za
-ENDS-
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
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