Shane Godfrey

Can government facilitate participative workplace change? An examination of the Workplace Challenge Project in the Cape fish processing industry

Industrial policy in South Africa has undergone significant changes in the last decade. The lowering of tariff barriers in compliance with GATT and then WTO requirements has been paralleled by a shift in focus on the part of the state to the supply-side, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) introducing various measures to encourage investment and stimulate competitiveness. Amongst the supply-side measures is the Workplace Challenge Project (WCP), which was launched by the DTI in 1995.

Economic and Social Upgrading in Global Apparel Production Networks

The apparel industry is one of the most globalized. Export production contributes substantially to national export earnings and employs tens of millions worldwide, particularly women in low-income countries. However, the globalization of production has also led to poor working conditions and regional wage depression. Over time, the national structure of manufacturer-driven value chains has given way to increasingly fragmented production systems, but in recent years the trend towards concentration, supply chain transparency and strategic partnerships between buyers and suppliers has improved conditions for some supplier firms and workers. Trade and preferential market access policies severely constrain economic and social upgrading opportunities.

The National Credit Act : will it increase access to credit for small and micro enterprises?

Members of COSATU, NACTU, FEDUSA, and other attendees from organised labour in the Western Cape and guests; it is truly an honour for me to address you this evening. We hope that this will be the first of many similar seminars that DITSELA will host in future.