Executive Summary many other bodies. As stated earlier, some Mauritian trade unions believe that the social reforms of the past few years have been more favourable to employers than to employees. The criticisms about them are the measures the government recently introduced to the legislation. These are reducing lay-off notice from three months to one month, restricting the right to strike and demonstrate, as well as the sanctions imposed on certain union leaders for exercising their right to demonstrate peacefully. There were also criticisms about the government’s refusal to speak to trade union representatives. They have not had a meeting with the prime minister for a year and a half. The minister of finance and economic empowerment has also reportedly refused to reply to mail that union representatives have sent to him. The result of all this is that the purchasing power of employees has deteriorated. Employers and government officials are highly critical of the unions. They see the unions as opponents that are seriously out of touch with the requirements of changing times – competitiveness and globalisation. The weaknesses in dialogue are quite real, and Mauritius has no alternative but to establish a fertile partnership with the central stakeholders – the trade unions, employers and the government. 7. CROSSCUTTING ISSUES 1.98 The following are the crosscutting issues that emerged from the report: • • • • Rodrigues Island. Corruption. Managing diversity. Poverty. Rodrigues Island 1.99 Absence of key institutions of governance in Rodrigues. A number of key government bodies that are present in Mauritius are missing in Rodrigues, most noticeably the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The CRM was informed that there is only one magistrate in Rodrigues, which means that there are numerous cases pending as well as a case backlog. 1.100 Autonomy. The leadership of Rodrigues remarked that the constitutional provisions regarding the autonomy of Rodrigues 28 Executive Summary should be abided by. The island has a higher status than the districts or municipalities of Mauritius, and should enjoy fiscal autonomy as well. The leadership strongly recommended that the stipulations of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly Act 39 of 2001 be strictly followed. The lack of operational and fiscal autonomy is limiting the ability of Rodrigues to enhance capacity on the island or to boost its economy. Some projects that should be implemented are not; this is because the budget is cut by the government and priorities are not met. 1.101 The CRM was informed that each district’s local government is allocated Rs50 million, an amount that Rodrigues also receives, despite its semiautonomous status. The Regional Assemblies Act states that the chief commissioner and the prime minister may discuss issues such as this, but this has not happened. The feeling among the people of Rodrigues who were consulted by the CRM is that matters relating to the island should be dealt with at the level of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and not as a local government issue. The stakeholders suggested that, if a minister specifically in charge of Rodrigues were to be appointed, this would be beneficial to the island, since parliamentarians do not have time to look after the people and concerns of Rodrigues. 1.102 Capacity Constraints and Cultural Constraints. Rodrigues is plagued by high unemployment rates and low education incidence. The island has a young population, yet the capacities, skills and quality of education remain deficient, and the private sector remains underdeveloped. In addition, access to education is a problem owing to lack of finances to buy scholastic materials and to meet other educational needs. The question of priorities and culture also comes into play, since aspects of Rodriguan culture negatively affect or impede attendance at school. Consumerism and the debt trap have entrenched many Rodriguans in poverty and people lack the requisite information about, or exposure to, the type of financial advice that would help them to make wise choices. Corruption 1.103 Despite the good image that Mauritius enjoys at the international level as one of the least corrupt countries in Africa, there is a broad consensus at the national level that corruption still affects a number of key democratic institutions (meaning political parties, Parliament, the judiciary, and the executive) as well as key institutions in the socioeconomic sector. Previous studies on corruption in Mauritius, 29