Question NW1472 to the Minister of Employment and Labour
25 June 2021 - NW1472
Tarabella - Marchesi, Ms NI to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour
(1)Whether his department has concluded any work exchange and/or employment agreements with any entity of the Republic of Cuba from the 2010-11 financial year up to the 2020-21 financial year; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) total number of Cuban nationals (i) have been employed in each of the specified financial years and/or (ii) are due to be employed in the 2021-23 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period, (b) are the details of the work that each of the specified Cuban nationals was and/or will be employed to perform, (c) are the details of the specific skills sets that each of the specified Cuban nationals possessed and/or will possess that South African nationals did or will not possess and (d) are the details of the total cost of employing each of the specified Cuban nationals in each case; (2) whether his department took any steps to ensure that the specific skills set of the specified Cuban nationals were and/or will not be available in the Republic amongst South African citizens; if not, in each case, why not; if so, what are the relevant details of the (a) steps taken and (b) outcomes of the steps taken in this regard?
Reply:
South African Ministry of Employment and Labour concluded a Bilateral Agreement with the Cuban Ministry of Employment, Social Security and Occupational Health and Safety in Cape Town on the 1st March 2004 that is renewable unless terminated by either party through diplomatic channels. This agreement remains in force and forms part of the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Cuba relations.
The rest of the questions posed by Honourable Mrs N I Tarabella Marchesi with regard to employment of Cubans locally are not applicable under this agreement.
The agreement with the Cubans only confines itself to cooperation in the fields of “Employment, Social security and Occupational Health and Safety on the basis of equality and mutual benefits, taking into account the experience of specialists in these fields and possibilities of cooperation available in each country” Each country bears its own costs in implementing the agreement.