BL Premium reports that the Presidency has urged big business in SA to hold off on planned retrenchments, saying it is staying the course on the energy action plan as well as the logistics turnaround strategy.
“We have a plan. We need consistency which then will allow for stability and a clear way forward. We don’t need to chop and change. We need a consistent plan. Business has partnered with government and we urge business to stay the course,” said Rudi Dicks, head of the project management office in the Presidency. Eskom’s inability to keep the lights on and low productivity at Transnet rail networks and its ports are major impediments to the country’s growth prospects. Businesses such as ArcelorMittal and Sibanye-Stillwater have outlined plans to lay off thousands of workers in response to domestic issues and international factors. Organised business agreed with the government last June to work together on energy, logistics and crime and has reiterated its confidence in the energy action plan and logistics road map. “As business, we are fully committed to and participating actively in both the Energy Action Plan and the Freight Logistics Roadmap. We accept that these critical interventions may take longer than we require with an associated impact on the economy for all businesses and particularly small and medium- sized enterprises. Any retrenchments would be considered as a last resort as we are extremely mindful of the broader socioeconomic implications,” said Business for SA’s Martin Kingston.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hajra Omarjee at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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