Johannesburg - Trade union Solidarity is of the opinion that affirmative action is dying a slow death.
The union's statement was prompted by the Johannesburg metro police's announcement that it is launching an active campaign to recruit new white, coloured and Indian members.
"The metro police's decision is the first step in a long process to exempt young people from affirmative action. It now faces the challenge of removing discriminatory obstacles so that a career in the metro police is attractive to minorities.
Entry-level scrapping growing
"We encourage employers to take it a step further and to exempt all young people from affirmative action."
In a statement, Solidarity noted that the decision to scrap affirmative action at entry level positions and to "gradually phase out discrimination against young whites at entry level" is a rapidly growing trend in a number of areas.
The union added that several mining houses and numerous large businesses are actively recruiting whites at the lower post levels. "This means that affirmative action is slowly dying from the bottom up."
'Scrap it altogether'
The union has called for affirmative action to be scrapped throughout organisations, and not just with regard to young people first entering the labour market. "This will speed up the natural demise of affirmative action," according to Dirk Hermann, the deputy general secretary of Solidarity.
Minorities are at present being given the message that they are being recruited, but that they must not expect to be promoted. In other words, they are both welcome and welcome.
Minorities must not only be recruited, they should also be offered career opportunities, Hermann said.
Speaking at a Workers' Day rally in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said employment equity was "here to stay", reports Sapa.
"It will stay until we have eradicated those unfair and abusive labour practices that relegate our mothers and young women in the remotest areas of our country to invisibility.
"It will remain not only to address these discriminatory practices that still exist today, but chiefly because it makes business sense.
"It will also remain because it fits in the achievement of the goals set by AsgiSA (the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa), to ensure that growth is shared," he said.
He said equity was not only about protection, but about creating a labour regime which sought to address industry's demands and responded positively to the requirements of job creation and poverty eradication.
Employment equity is the legislation through which affirmative action is enforced. However, it does not only apply to race, but gender and disability, among other things. - Sapa
