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The Forum & The Trade Unions |
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The Forum has since 2006 held exploratory talks with trade unions since 2006 on possible areas of cooperation. It has been approached by the Solidarity Trade Union as well as the Johannesburg branch of NEHAWU. An information-sharing meeting was held on 7 August 2007 with these two unions, after which the parties agreed that there was potential for positive co-operation beyond merely the sharing of information.
The meeting identified a number of possibilities for co-operation with the Forum, for example:
- The establishment of a centralised bargaining chamber in which The Forum together with unions could bargain with government regarding improvements to subsidies for purposes of improving salaries and service conditions;
- Joint promotion of transformation and transparency in services;
- Monitoring on compliance with relevant policies and legislation;
- Skills development – the Forum could for example propose a programme for implementation by government, and there could be joint negotiations with the Health and Welfare SETA;
- The establishment of Adult Basic Literacy (ABET) opportunities for people in CBOs;
- The referring by NPOs of matters of concern to be taken up by the unions;
- The unions encouraging organisations to join The Forum.
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