On behalf of the Industrial Relations Association of South Africa, it gives me great pleasure to welcome all IRasa members to 2009. During the past two years IRasa was faced with a lot of challeges and experienced some transformative changes. We moved offices from Unisa (Florida Campus) to ELRC Building in Centurion. The decision to move offices was a strategic one, which was to grow and transform the organisation. We however acknowledge that the decision resulted in the organisation experiencing some challenges, such as the loss of a few members. We were also confronted with a major challenge, as IRasa moved its website from Unisa as host, to Mweb. We are happy now that the website is active.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincerest gratitude to the ELRC for offering IRasa a home within their building in West Street, Centurion. We appreciate your generosity, and will forever be indebted to you for offering IRASA offices at no cost.

During 26 – 28 March 2008, IRASA hosted the IIRA 5th African Regional Congress at the Graduate School of Business, in Cape Town. The Congress was well attended by International, regional and local delegates. We have included a brief summary of the congress. (See Annexure A). I am grateful to IRASA members who served on the Organising and Scientific Committees that worked tirelessly to ensure that the Congress was an overwhelming success.

I wish to also recognise the organisations that supported us financially and otherwise, in hosting the 5th IIRA African Regional Congress, namely LexisNexis, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), JUTA, AngloGold Ashanti, PSCBC, ELRC, Shereno Printers and the UCT Graduate School of Business. Special thanks to PSCBC, ELRC and UCT for offering the services of their staff who provided excellent administrative support at the Congress. We are also grateful to IIRA for their confidence in giving us the opportunity to host the African Regional Congress again and for their encouragement.

IRASA jointly hosted a successful Women’s Day celebration together with other financial services bodies like the IRF and POA as well as the Regulator, the FSB. The event held in Randburg on 28 August 2007 attracted over 60 women, who received highly motivational speeches from many high powered women.

We extend a warm welcome to new Corporate members who joined IRasa, namely CCMA, EDI Holdings, Public Service Commission and African Bank Limited and to some 10 new Individual members. We look forward to your association that will enhance the objectives of IRasa. We also encourage our existing members to persuade other counterparts in the IR fraternity to join the IRasa family so that we can build a viable network of the various role-players.

• OUTCOME 1: An effective, efficient and accessible IR organisation that provides a platform for interaction and networking within the IR and related fields
• OUTCOME 2: A sustainable, efficient and independent organization that promotes basic rights and sound relations between labour market partners and the state (non-partisan)
• OUTCOME 3: Advocates/promote interacting stakeholders’ dialogue, debates, and transformation and best IR practices on a non-partisan basis
• OUTCOME 4: Advocates and promotes compliance with the legal framework governing industrial relations.

Judge Edwin Molahlehi
President: IRASA