Deputy President,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
The leadership of COSATU, FEDUSA AND NACTU,
Senior officials,

I welcome you to this important meeting of the Presidential Labour Working Group.  

We have tried to convene this meeting before but it had to be postponed due to clashing schedules.  I am very happy that we are able to meet today.

Successful nations are built on the foundation of common purpose. Our culture of consultation and dialogue to build a shared national vision and unity of purpose is what has made it possible for South Africa to succeed. 
 
We meet today when our economy is facing strong headwinds due to a weak global economy and some challenges in the domestic sphere.

The economic situation makes it difficult to create jobs, and this affects all in our country, and especially our youth.

It is encouraging that we are united in efforts to find ways to reignite growth. Without growth, it will be difficult to create the numbers of jobs that we need to break the back of unemployment.

Let me then in this regard, express my gratitude to organised labour for working with government and business to avert the recent ratings downgrades. Government, labour and business undertook an international pro-South Africa tour for the first time, and this milestone showed immense patriotism and unity in action to build our country.

We must now do more, together, to strengthen the economy and address the domestic constraints to growth which are in our control to attend to. I am happy that Labour attended the recent economic renewal report back meeting on the 9th of May. We should now move our country forward together.

Let me thank you as well for the spirit of cooperation that prevailed with regards to the recent amendments to our labour laws and also the retirement benefits of workers.

We have a common goal, which is the protection of workers in general and vulnerable workers in particular.  We should therefore always ensure that we talk, and work together.

The recent amendments extend the scope of protection to Domestic Workers and Farm Workers, who are arguably the most vulnerable among workers.  

We need to find ways to leverage these achievements in the manner that boosts economic recovery and a better life for all our people.  

If we work together in the manner we have done in the past few months, I am convinced that we will overcome the challenges that we face.

We have had success before of working together to find practical solutions to our immediate challenges. As you would recall, after the onset of the global economic crisis in 2008, we crafted a strategy to cushion the impact of the crisis on workers. 

We need that spirit to address our challenges today.

Our meeting today will focus on the state of the economy and what should be done to turn it around so that we can stop job losses and create more decent jobs for our people. 

The matters of the minimum wage and the comprehensive social security system are of utmost importance as well to workers. 

Let me thank you once again. We look forward to fruitful deliberations.

I thank you.