The decrease in black people in top and senior management positions is not a result of a skills shortage, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said on Tuesday.

Speaking after the annual 2007/2008 Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) report was presented in Pretoria Mdladlana said: "Nobody will deny that there is a skills shortage in this country, but it should not be used as an excuse for not employing people."

He said the majority of unemployed people had primary or secondary education.

"The bulk of the people who are unemployed are in that category," he said adding that was what affirmative action sought to create - a more diverse and representative workplace.

Reconciliation route

"Why are we being blamed for taking the reconciliation route? For asking everybody to put their hands on the wheel?"

He said the sooner employers started complying with the Employment Equity Act, which provided for equal representation in the workplace, the sooner the law would become redundant.

The Act was developed to recognise the effects of apartheid and other discriminatory laws which allowed for unfair treatment in employment through discrimination.

Sophisticated racism

CEE chairperson Jimmy Manyi said companies were using "sophisticated racism" in their recruitment tactics and skills development programmes to try and get around the legislation. This was one of the factors responsible for the under-representation of blacks.

Manyi cited an article in the 11 September edition of Finweek, which contained an advertisement placed by Nicole Katz of Envisage SA.

Katz's "No Blacks Please" hiring policy was depressing, said Manyi.

"[It] rudely reminded us that 14 years into our democracy has not been nearly enough to convert some of the racial stereotypes. It is a really depressing situation, we really thought we were through this."

He said job advertisements were crafted in such a way as to make the jobs inaccessible to the majority of unemployed, with previous experience highlighted as one of the pre-requisites.

He said the training offered to black people was not developmental but merely "keep me busy" training.

Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann — who sat in on the press briefing — said the report showed that affirmative action was only for the" elite" as it was compiled from data from top JSE-listed companies.

"Top management positions in JSE-listed companies represent only 0.06 percent of the country's total workforce.

"It is disheartening to see that while the country's economy is suffering because of skills shortages, the government department responsible for solving the problem is wasting its resources to compile useless reports."

The CEE report showed that black people and people with disabilities were still "grossly" under-represented in the workplace, while whites remained dominant.

White men dominate

White men continued to dominate all three top levels and there had been a "meteoric" rise in white women in the workplace, said Manyi.

It found that there was no need to blame the Employment Equity Act for the rate of emigration and that a focus on African women in particular was urgent.

Manyi said the CEE recommended, among other things, that enforcement mechanisms be intensified, that a name-and-shame strategy be "re-ignited" to encourage whistleblowers and that employers should develop anti-racism policies.

"Sophisticated racism should not be tolerated, people must whistleblow.

Naming and shaming

"Naming and shaming is coming, just as sure as day is to come after night."

He said the commission would publicly name companies which did not comply with legislation. This would be done if — after the labour department had visited and made suggestions — they had not taken corrective steps.

"If not, then you can expect to see your name in the newspaper," he said.

Sapa

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