The Department of Labour's vision is "to strive for a labour market, which is conducive to economic growth, investment and employment creation and is characterised by rising skills, equity, sound labour relations, respect for employment standards and workers' rights".
The Mission of the DOL will play a significant role in reducing unemployment, poverty and inequality through a set of policies and programmes developed in consultation with social partners, which are aimed at:
| • | improved economic efficiency and productivity; |
| • | skills development and employment creation; |
| • | eliminating inequality and discrimination in the workplace; |
| • | alleviating poverty in employment; |
| • | enhancing occupational health and safety awareness and compliance in the workplace; |
| • | nurturing the culture of acceptance that worker rights are human rights; |
The DOL has been involved in a range of activities, which have had a direct impact in improving people's rights in the workplace. The DOL has achieved this by initiating and implementing legislation enabling the promotion of sound and stable relations at the workplace, protecting the rights of workers and employers, and by providing a range of services including those in the remotest parts of the country.
The Ministerial Programme of Action for the next five years, covering period 2004 to 2009, is intended to serve as a yardstick for the Department in this period on the following areas:
| • | To consolidate the Department's attention towards key aims and objectives as elaborated in the Ministerial Programme of Action |
| • | To enable the Department to .assess achievements and challenges against a set of key targets |
| • | To allow the South African public in general, and the labour market community in particular to hold the Department accountable against a set of key commitments made. |
