Pretoria - Labour matters are of concern to business, a survey by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) says.
SACCI president Chose Choeu said a survey of SACCI members has shown increasingly negative perceptions of the impact of labour behaviour and demands on the business environment.
"Members cited the skills shortage and the potential for job creation as most concerning. There also appears to be a lingering concern regarding the proposed amendments to labour legislation and continued calls by labour unions to ban labour brokers, despite these issues being negotiated at Nedlac [National Economic Development and Labour Council]," he said.
Strike action that is currently underway, as well as strikes that are looming are also contributing factors, said SACCI.
Currently, workers in the engineering industry are in the fourth day of nationwide protest over wages. The National Union of Metal Workers (Numsa) is demanding a 13 percent wage hike.
"Increased wage and administrative costs associated with significantly above inflation wage demands by unions, will later be passed on to consumers and may have the consequence of reduced employment," Choeu pointed out.
The role of SETAs in technical skills training, especially apprenticeships and job creation objectives of the New Growth Path, among other things, will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.