§ Mr., George Gardinerasked the Lord Privy Seal what progress the Ten have made on the code of conduct for European companies operating in South Africa.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsThe Ten have recently completed an evaluation of a second round of reports by European companies, They made the following statement
The Ten have considered the second round of reports by European companies operating in South Africa on the implementation of the Code of Conduct adopted in Political Cooperation on 22 September 1977. Although the reporting periods vary, the majority of reports relating to the period mid-1979 to mid-1980. It is disappointing that some companies did not report, or did not report fully.The reports showed an awareness that employment practices and industrial relations in South Africa are changing especially in key areas such as worker representation and training. The gradual trend towards dealing with representative trade unions continues, and the acute shortage of skilled manpower has added urgency of the drive to increase the number of skilled workers.The value of the Code of Conduct is that it gives form and direction to the contribution which companies can make to the process of change. It has undoubtedly helped to stimulate some improvement in basic wage levels, although some firms are still not fully applying the Code's recommendation on minimum wage levels. The range of fringe benefits made available to their employees and in some cases evidence of a commitment to the wider community show that companies are becoming increasingly aware of their social responsibilities.The Ten hope that companies operating in South Africa will continue their efforts to implement the recommendations of the Code and play a positive role in the training and development of black employees.