The National Council of Provinces has passed the Employment Equity Amendment Bill, with the draft legislation now in its final stage of promulgation as it has been sent to the president for signing.
EECMS supported several entities in more than seventy (70) Director General reviews (the highest form of inspection), of which all their clients were cleared without receiving any penalties.
With South African businesses and employees growing increasingly reliant on WhatsApp as a means of communication, it has become increasingly common for labour disputes to arise around the messaging platform.
The government is expected to conclude the legislative process for the Employment Equity Amendment Bill in September 2022, in what is expected to be the vanguard of a new transformation push for the country.
Demonstrators march to protest against attacks on the immigrant community in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Skills are a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to transmit, store, create, share or exchange information.
A recent Business Day Dialogue discussed the ILO’s findings that hybrid working trends were on the rise in Africa, and how businesses could adapt while maintaining productivity
Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Boitumelo Moloi says there is an inter-governmental structure to monitor undocumented foreign nationals who expose their children to dangerous and hazardous work as a means of survival.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) has approved three new bills, which now sit with president Cyril Ramaphosa waiting to be signed into law.
SA lawmakers don’t have the interests of the unemployed at heart; they appear to deliberately keep people out of jobs and give them grants so that they can be seen as caring.
A poster outside the Durban International Convention Centre where the ILO Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour is under way.
Bullying is a word synonymous with the type of conduct expected in school playgrounds. It is not a word that is usually associated with the workplace, notes Sibusiso Dube, partner at Bowmans South Africa.
Employment Equity Amendment Bill grants labour minister irrationally wide powers and so should be rejected by president outright
The government’s efforts to address historical imbalances and promote transformation have effectively stalled since 2009, says finance minister Enoch Godongwana.
Organisation says much of the progress achieved between 1994 and 2008 has been undermined and reversed
Pending a resolution of a dispute referred to the bargaining council by 130 City of Johannesburg employees, the city is interdicted from implementing a council resolution rescinding an earlier decision taken in March 2021 to convert staff from contract to permanent.
South African employers are increasingly being challenged to meet the targets set in their employment equity plans and are facing penalties for failing to do so.
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) welcomes the Democratic Alliance’s Private Members Bill to scrap BEE from government tender processes, and will be submitting recommendations to Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on how race-based empowerment can be replaced, and why.
South African employers are increasingly being challenged to meet the targets set in their employment equity plans and are facing penalties for failing to do so.
The inspection came after parents sounded the alarm that cracks in the building could be seen inside and outside classrooms.
Over 20 000 South Africans have signed the petition calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to veto the Employment Equity Amendment Bill (EEB), which IRR analysts warn will risk pushing unemployment above 50% on the expanded definition.
The country’s Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi saw the fair as an opportunity to build the economy to benefit residents while reducing the high unemployment rate in the country. He said the event celebrated the relationship the two countries share.
The Minister of Employment and Labour has recently released the Draft National Labour Migration Policy and the Employment Services Amendment Bill for public comment.
Financial services company Mukuru will have to revisit its employment policy after the Western Cape High Court lambasted it for ignoring South Africa’s employment laws in favour of hiring foreigners in positions South Africans can occupy.
Operation Dudula, the controversial movement that has been targeting foreign nationals in Gauteng, is poised to extend its questionable activities to other provinces, launching in Durban this weekend.
Pretoria – Age as a requirement for job opportunities must be interrogated to ensure there is no discrimination in both the private and public sectors.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to lift the national state disaster means almost all of the country’s lockdown rules have been repealed with immediate effect.
Employers will no longer be required to screen employees daily for COVID-19 symptoms.
The Department of Employment and Labour will consider several labour market reforms in the coming year as a response to the Covid pandemic and the country’s record-high unemployment, says director-general Thobile Lamati.
Employment and Labour minister Thulas Nxesi recently published three important legal developments affecting South African employers and employees.
The Minister of Employment and Labour in South Africa (Minister) has recently published three important legal developments affecting South African employers and employees – the Draft National Labour Migration Policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill, the Code of Practice for Managing Exposure to Sars-CoV-2 in the Workplace 2022, and the Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace.
DA MP says minister’s EE Amendment Bill is a job-destroying jackhammer
More companies can expect reviews in the coming year for failing to comply with employment equity legislation, says the Department of Employment and Labour’s chief director of statutory and advocacy services Fikiswa Bede.
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has called for harsh action against employers who have been found to have hired illegal foreign nationals.
Are you the king or queen of office pranks? The office clown … perhaps a bulldozer or gossip that’s always pushing the envelope?
All attempts by successive governments since 1994 to wipe away the legacy of apartheid and colonialism have failed to narrow the imbalance between rich and poor, with 3,500 adults owning more than the poorest 32 million people in a country of 60 million.
The ideas behind the Employment Equity Amendment Bill are a sure-fire way to cause greater damage.
If the bill is not defeated international companies and investors will surely think twice before investing in SA.
MINISTER of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi launched a R551 million job creation project.
Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi has published the Draft National Labour Migration Policy and Employment Services Amendment Bill for public comment.
Special interest in the employment of foreigners should be investigated, according to Lindelwa Dunjwa, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on employment and labour.
The Department of Employment and Labour in Limpopo is set to embark on a weeklong inspection blitz in the province’s hospitality and road freight sectors.
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is making headway in its tussle with the Department of Employment and Labour, which is accusing the firm of breaching South Africa’s employment equity policy.
The government’s latest Critical Skills List includes a number of key finance and banking jobs that the country has increasingly lost overseas in recent years, says Phillip Joubert, manager of the Centre of Tax Excellence at the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA).
Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi announced a new minimum wage.
The Department of Employment and Labour on Friday filed papers in court against Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies’ South African unit for alleged employment equity violations, in what it said was a ’strong message’ to all companies operating in South Africa that they must abide by the law.
One of the key issues missing from president Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address on Thursday evening (10 February) was the discussion around the hiring of foreign workers and the introduction of new quotas, says Peter Attard Montalto, head of capital markets research at Intellidex.
Johannesburg- Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi has announced a new minimum wage for South Africa.
On Wednesday, inspections were conducted in some retail and wholesale companies in Phoenix, north of Durban.
Johannesburg- Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi has announced a new minimum wage for South Africa.
On Wednesday, inspections were conducted in some retail and wholesale companies in Phoenix, north of Durban.
The inspectorate will also conduct a joint inspection of the road freight and logistics industries in Phoenix and Isipingo.
Three other pieces of legislation dealing with immigration and refugees are under review.
Labour minister Thulas Nxesi has published the new minimum wage for South Africa. In a gazette published on Monday evening (7 February), the minister said that the national minimum wage is now R23.19 for each ordinary hour worked. This change will take effect from 1 March 2022.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) recently found that a company’s decision to fire an employee who refused to be vaccinated was fair.
Pretoria – Respected labour analyst Terry Bell on Tuesday said the ongoing blitz and random inspections on companies by political parties and government departments has led to the scape-goating of South Africa’s jobs crisis on immigrants.
Afternoon Drive host John Maytham chats to labour law specialist Puke Maserumule.
Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi has raised concerns around illegal recruitment practices, including the hiring of foreign workers who are in the country unlawfully.
Pretoria – The Department of Employment and Labour’s mega inspection blitz, which began on Monday, has revealed a compliance with labour laws of only 42% in the Western Cape’s vast hospitality sector.
Durban – EFF secretary-general Marshall Dlamini said the reason the party conducted inspections at restaurants in Gauteng this week was to ensure coexistence among African people in the hospitality sector.
JOHANNESBURG – The Employment and Labour Department admits that the capacity of its inspection and enforcement is nowhere near sufficient to carry out its mandate.
The principle of fair labour practice is a fundamental right that is enshrined and guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which is the supreme law of the land. Furthermore, the Labour Relations Act of 1995; and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997 give effect to the principle of fair labour practice. These pieces of legislation also prescribe recourse for employees who feel that their rights have been trampled upon.
Angie Motshekga was appointed to the position of Minister of Basic Education (DBE) in 2009. It has been close-on 13 years since she took over a department that oversees the education of over 12 million young South Africans.
Pretoria – The Department of Employment and Labour’s inspection and enforcement services, accompanied by the Department of Home Affairs and the SAPS in the Western Cape, has announced week-long mega blitz inspections targeting the hospitality sector including hotels, bed and breakfast facilities, and restaurants.
While it is the intention of the Department of Employment and Labour to ensure all employers comply with legislation, the department has called on employees to ensure that their rights are respected in the workplace.
The employment and labour department has weighed in on the EFF’s controversial visits to Johannesburg restaurants to demand that management provide them with information on how many foreign nationals they employ.
The mining sector forms a crucial part of South Africa’s economy, and the need for leadership in this sector is critical as any shortcoming in human resource and leadership skills can greatly affect the development of this sector.
If an employee does not want to be vaccinated, companies are entitled to demand negative Covid-19 tests from them on a regular basis, says Business Unity South Africa (Busa) chief executive Cas Coovadia.
Three big issues that employers are considering as they prepare for 2022 include the opportunities, risks and challenges relating to working from home; implementing mandatory vaccination policies after a return to the office; and increased scrutiny of the gender and ethnicity pay gap.
Cape Town – Economists say a proposed national minimum wage (NMW) increase will most likely have a more negative impact on the economy than good.
The gazetted directives, which spell out what employers have to do to introduce compulsory Covid-19 vaccination in their workplace – and the steps they have to take if they want to fire someone who refuses vaccination – are a useful starting point for employers and employees alike who want to know if someone can lose their job over the issue. But the matter is far from clear-cut and it will probably need to be tested in the courts for us to have legal clarity.
The Department of Employment of Labour has called for comments on a new minimum wage target for South Africa in 2022, with the national minimum wage commission indicating that the national minimum wage of R21.69 should be increased by +1% above CPI inflation.
OPINION: During these uncertain times, our economy is beset with structural challenges of skills mismatch and not growing fast enough to absorb the unemployed.
Can an employer prohibit the wearing of any religious, political, or any another form of dress in an effort to remain neutral when dealing with clients and customers?
The sad reality is that in over 10 years of researching the labour market plight of the blind and visually impaired, we have yet to see meaningful change, or for that matter, progress toward meaningful redressal of discriminatory attitudes, stereotypes, environmental barriers and poor enforcement of the Employment Equity Act.
Employment and labour department directions allow fairly broad scope for employees to refuse mandatory jabs
The acting MEC for agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs, Busi Shiba, agreed that government still has a long way to go to satisfy the needs of people with disabilities.
Labour minister Thulas Nxesi says an organisation representing businesses is heading to the Constitutional Court to seek a declaratory order on mandatory vaccination to ensure that whatever decision the government and businesses take is within the constitutional prescript.
While business, labour, and community representatives have embraced a country-wide mandatory vaccination policy, the government has been on the fence, opting to consult widely before it makes a firm decision. The Cabinet is yet to make a decision on vaccine mandates in the workplace and public spaces.
The Department of Employment and Labour introduced the Consolidated Direction on Health and Safety in Certain Workplaces on 11 June 2021. Effectively, it permits employers to introduce a mandatory vaccination policy provided certain conditions are met.
While much of the focus on vaccine mandates in South Africa has focused on corporates and large businesses, many South Africans have raised questions about whether they can introduce mandatory vaccinations for domestic workers, gardeners and other employees in their homes.
The Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services unit in the North West is set to embark on a three-day blitz inspection.
Regardless of what industry you’re in, there’s no denying that the work environment is very different now to what it was two years ago.
South Africa’s unemployment rate hit a new record high of 34.9% in the third quarter (Q3) from 34.4% in Q2, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Tuesday. Under the expanded definition, which includes discouraged jobseekers, the rate rose 2.2 percentage points to a shocking 46.6%. It is all very discouraging.
Elsabé Klinck, a former legal advisor to the SA Medical Association, picks up on a thorny issue for freedom-loving South Africans – the proposed (by business groupings) introduction of mandatory Covid-19 vaccination. The one-time senior lecturer in the Department of Constitutional Law at Free State University (and co-author of Employment Equity Law and International Human Rights Standards) spoke to veteran medical journalist Chris Bateman.
Just last week, the National Assembly adopted the Employment Equity (EE) Amendment Bill of 2020. As the IRR’s Head of Policy Research Anthea Jeffery writes, the National Council of Provinces is expected to endorse the aforementioned bill so it can be signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Jeffery notes that he should not place his signature on the bill as it’s “unnecessary” and “deeply damaging”.
Western Cape Network on Disability believes that companies should focus on skills rather than stereotypes when it comes to PWD’s
The department of employment and labour says the law does not allow employers to discipline employees who flout Covid-19 regulations outside work.
Big business is understandably alarmed at proposals to close South Africa’s huge wage gap between top management and its lowest-paid workers, as proposed in the Companies Amendment Bill. But a 23-year-old section of the Employment Equity Act, which has been completely ignored, already does exactly that.
Do you stick to your working hours or not?
The non-payment of salaries to ANC staff is embarrassing, says Cosatu.
Labour law and constitutional law expert Halton Cheadle said on Wednesday night that he believed a challenge to the constitutionality of a mandatory vaccination policy in the workplace and even retrenchments on these grounds will in all likelihood survive scrutiny by the Constitutional Court — and a growing body of international jurisprudence backed him up on this.
Last month, police arrested eight people for blocking the N3 highway with trucks.
There have been calls for employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi to withdraw the ‘irrational’ Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases draft regulations.
Dear employer
The Compensation Fund Commissioner, on 22 October 2021, published a notice (‘the notice’) in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), in terms of which employees, who suffer side effects, including injuries, illness or death, as a result of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, may now claim compensation from the Compensation Fund (‘the Fund’).
For many young South Africans, a tertiary qualification is perceived to be the passport to a good job and decent salary. As such, there is the expectation that higher education will open the way to a better life for graduates as well as their families. Yet, increasingly we find graduates who are jobless, or underemployed, taking on unskilled work merely to earn some kind of income.
Increased flexibility has been a godsend to many employees in the pandemic but has also meant it is harder to disconnect from work. Unlike some EU countries, South African law does not expressly acknowledge the right to disconnect from work.
Business group Sakeliga has opposed the proposed Companies Amendment Bill, which it warns will harm the business landscape and ultimately push more skilled people to leave South Africa.
If Covid-19 vaccination rates don’t improve, government might make it mandatory for all public service employees.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says a proposed new law preventing foreign nationals from operating in the country without a South African driver’s licenses is currently before Parliament.
Cape Town – In light of providing a safe and well-equipped facility that will offer sheltered employment opportunities, the Noluthando Sheltered Employment Trust (NSET) officially opened its doors to the Noluthando School for Special Needs in Khayelitsha today.
Skilled immigrants looking to enter South Africa to address the country’s shortage of skills in a range of sectors face long processing times and are increasingly being rejected.
Johannesburg – The Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services has appealed to employers, supported by employees and organised labour to comply with the COVID-19 occupational health and safety regulations.
Its focus is on creating more taxpayer-funded jobs in the public sector (and it’s succeeding in that).
Skilled immigrants looking to enter South Africa to address the country’s shortage of skills in a range of sectors face long processing times and are increasingly being rejected.
Johannesburg – The Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services has appealed to employers, supported by employees and organised labour to comply with the COVID-19 occupational health and safety regulations.
Its focus is on creating more taxpayer-funded jobs in the public sector (and it’s succeeding in that).
THOUSANDS of unemployed youths were probably left shocked last week when the government’s head honchos announced that they had created more than 550 000 jobs since October 2020.
Dear Fellow South African,
The launch of the second phase of the Presidential Employment Stimulus this past week represents great progress in our quest to create job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of currently unemployed South Africans.
As South Africa is now well poised to enter lockdown level 1 to start opening more businesses and exploiting the new normal, we need to be vigilant and see how we can create more jobs for everyone’s benefit.
Unfounded claims of racism, like those recently made against Eskom CEO André de Ruyter, will further split a society that is still struggling to come to grips with a past dominated by racial inequality.
While growing up in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, Sindisiwe Malanda was fascinated by how electricity was transmitted through cables from power stations to homes.
As Government, we have been very consistent in our fight against unemployment, poverty and inequality. We continue to resist and refuse any attempts to defocus us. We are steadfast and resolute in fighting unemployment, inequality and eradication of poverty in our lifetime!
The Department would like to invite qualifying graduates to apply to participate in an Internship Programme. The Internship is meant to provide work exposure to graduates for a period of twenty (24) months. Applicants must be unemployed and never participated in an internship programme previously and must between the ages of 18-35.
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Several of the country’s leading companies, including Discovery and Sanlam, have announced their intention to introduce mandatory vaccination policies within their organisations, but the debate continues about whether this is the right strategy.
Advocacy non-profit Dear South Africa is inviting the South African public to comment on, object to, or support mandatory COVID-19 vaccine passports in the workplace.
Employers and employees rely on employment tribunal commissioners to discern between appropriate and inappropriate conduct and remedy the incorrect classification and consequences attached to employee conduct, says Johan Botes, partner and head of the Employment & Compensation at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been the ultimate external disruptor. It forced many businesses to retrench or furlough their staff, because they simply could not continue to employ them.
A blanket view of all older people as “high risk” and stricter restrictions imposed by governments on older people, such as visitors barred from care homes and retirement facilities, and orders for older people to self-isolate and stay home, worsened the isolation, anxiety and social disconnectedness already experienced by older people.
Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi says workers will be the biggest losers should the ruling party lose its grip on power.
The Commission for Conciliation‚ Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) says it was able to save 58‚165 of 138‚816 jobs that were likely to be lost to retrenchment in the 2020/2021 financial year‚ despite fiscal challenges brought by Covid-19.
There has been a number of reports indicating that some employers are planning to implement a policy of mandatory vaccinations across their entire workforce.
Here’s why we are opposed to mandatory vaccination – NEASA CE, Gerhard Papenfus, on CNBC Africa, 9 September 2021.
SA urgently needs to move away from the current zero-sum approach
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has defended the proposed amendment to the current Employment Equity Act which is aimed at strengthening the government’s ability to enforce racial equality in the workplace.
In terms of our employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA), bullying of an employee is a form of unfair discrimination as envisaged in Section 6, and it is prohibited. Bullying also results in losses for an employer both in terms of productivity and efficiency. In addition, it has a detrimental effect on employees’ mental and emotional well-being and the working environment.
Five central questions emerged from discussions convened by the Gibs Centre for Business Ethics.
Michael Cardo makes disconcerting and misleading references to the proposed Employment Equity Amendment Bill as “a job destroying jackhammer”, and in so doing seems to be denying the pervasive effect of apartheid legislation, which led to quotas for blacks and whites (“New employment equity bill is a weapon of economic mass destruction”, September 9).
The new Employment Equity Bill is more than a weapon of economic mass destruction, it entrenches apartheid in the workforce (“New employment equity bill is a weapon of economic mass destruction”, September 9).
The National Assembly has adopted the Compensation of Injury on Duty Amendment Bill, which brings significant benefits for domestic workers in South Africa.
Cosatu has lashed out at Parliament for failing to form a quorum in order to pass the Employment Equity Amendment Bill.
DA MP says ANC wants people to believe it is a weapon of transformation but it is one of economic mass destruction.
The road to prosperity in South Africa has been a long and arduous one.
Pretoria – The Department of Employment and Labour says employers and companies will have to meet a set of stringent conditions before being issued with the employment equity (EE) compliance certificate which is a prerequisite for access to contracts with the State and any of its organs.
The Department of Employment and Labour’s Employment Equity (EE) Directorate is gearing itself up for the implementation and enforcement of the new EE Act once the Parliamentary processes are finalised by March 2022.
Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister Blade Nzimande says that the country’s universities and colleges are in the process of adapting their curricula to be relevant to skills required by South Africa and the rest of the world.
Managing mental health related issues in the workplace can be difficult. Employers should manage employees with mental health related issues carefully and fairly, working with, rather than against, employees with mental health related issues.
Women’s Month may have come to an end but that doesn’t mean conversations around gender inequality in the workplace should be put on the back burner.
The Department of Employment and Labour is preparing to introduce the amended Employment Equity Act in 2022.
Every August, South Africans have a national conversation about gender equality and women’s issues, one of which is domestic work. They contribute immensely to the life of society yet this work remains unrecognised.
Businesses looking to resolve gender imbalance in the workplace could be losing up to 60% of their female talent due to hiring managers’ negative perceptions of the commitment and competence of women who take a career break to be stay-at-home mothers in their children’s formative years.
This is the highest rate recorded since the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) started in 2008.
The report has found that recruitment managers have negative perceptions of the commitment and competence of women who take a break in their careers to look after children in their formative years.
Businesses looking to resolve gender imbalance in the workplace could be losing up to 60% of their female talent due to hiring managers’ negative perceptions of the commitment and competence of women who take a career break to be stay-at-home mothers in their children’s formative years.
This is the highest rate recorded since the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) started in 2008.
The report has found that recruitment managers have negative perceptions of the commitment and competence of women who take a break in their careers to look after children in their formative years.
Without being able to address issues of unemployment, it is unlikely that South Africa will be able to tackle poverty, hunger or the growing sense of hopelessness that so (un)easily turns violent in our country. Relaxing some of our labour laws may offer a way out.
Employees of Tyeks Security Services at Ganyesa in the North West are accusing their employer of vaccine discrimination.
The unrest that destroyed many KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng businesses is expected to result in about 105 000 people facing a bleak future without jobs.
While most of the current focus on women in mining tends to be on their employment and advancement, there are a range of gender-related issues confronting the sector in its downstream value chain.
A shortage of truckers across the US has become so severe that companies are trying to bring in drivers from abroad like seemingly never before.
National Treasury is developing new legislation that will “seek to enhance the transformation imperatives of the South African financial services sector”, says finance minister Tito Mboweni.
The looting, criminality, lawlessness and unnecessary deaths that we witnessed in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month should be a warning that poverty, inequality and food insecurity affect all of us, not only the poor.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has rendered relief against income loss to approximately 5.4 million workers with over R61.2 billion disbursed, according to South African labour minister Thulas Nxesi.
Cape Town – Following reports that some employers are threatening to dismiss staff who choose not to receive the Covid-19 vaccine , Acting Health Minister Mamoloko Kubayi says no person should be forced to take the vaccine.
Solidarity today lodged a complaint against the South African government with the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) wants people who have been threatened with losing their jobs or rented accommodation for refusing to have a Covid-19 vaccine to come forward.
The latest figures presented by Stats SA paint an alarming picture for the country’s young and economically active population, up to the age of 35.
South Africa’s labour laws are constantly evolving, and as with any legislation, they are often open to interpretation, and therefore to contention. While every incident is resolved individually, and decisions are based on the facts and the merits of the case, it is often helpful to look at past and current Employment Law updates in terms of CCMA rulings, as well as case law from the Labour Court, Labour Appeal Court and Constitutional Court where applicable.
The world is calling for accelerated efforts to counteract a gender divide made wider by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Voices of Change 2021 event – which will be hosted virtually on 5 August during Global Women’s Month – is poised to respond to this call in an impactful way.
Employment and Labour minister, Thulas Nxesi has gazetted a new directive that will make it possible for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to implement a third extension of the Covid-19 TERS benefit.
In response to the current civil unrest taking place in South Africa, many businesses have had to close operations out of fear of attacks and to ensure the safety of their employees, says law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.
As we struggle under level 4 lockdown and the economy shrinks daily, we need to start asking future employers to consider alternative means of job creation.
South Africa’s business leaders and economic experts have called for the introduction of strong measures to bring ongoing violence and looting in parts of the country to a halt.
South Africa can bolster hiring by temporarily extending tax incentives, suspending rules that increase labour costs and introducing measures to support entrepreneurship and self-employment, according to the World Bank.
Johannesburg – The Department of Employment and Labour has bemoaned the low levels of compliance with health and safety measures by employers, as the country battles the third wave of COVID-19 infections.
We do intend to blame many of our ills on the pandemic and the lockdown. However, it must be noted our unemployment crisis has grown from bad to worse over the past 20 years.
Black Economic Empowerment – more commonly known as BEE – was introduced to South Africa in the mid-2000’s, with the intention of redressing years of inequality brought on by the oppressive apartheid regime. Since its implementation, myriad South Africans have been vocal about the fact that it hasn’t worked. In an article published on BizNews, Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko spoke about how BEE can actually be harmful to local businesses.
The workers will argue that polygraph tests are unscientific and will ask for their dismissals to be rescinded.
By the end of the week, companies who plan to impose mandatory vaccine policies in the workplace must have declared this with the department of labour.
A woman employee of the Dr Beyers Naudé municipality in Graaff-Reinet was awarded R4-million in damages after the council failed to act appropriately against a manager who sexually assaulted her. The award is a salutary warning for employers who fail to take action in sexual offences cases.
As SA gears up to vaccinate more citizens against Covid-19, there are growing concerns about whether employers can force their employees to take the vaccine.
By the end of the week, companies who plan to impose mandatory vaccine policies in the workplace must have declared this with the department of labour.
SOUTH Africa may be far away from reaching gender and race-based employment equity, but professional African females are making headway, according to the Commission for Employment Equity’s 21st annual report released Friday.
Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi says that government will need to introduce new regulations to speed up the rate of transformation at businesses in South Africa.
Employment and Labour minister Thulas Nxesi says that his department has been working closely with the International Labour Organisation in the commissioning and development of a new national labour migration policy.
The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act Amendment Bill that Prof Pierre de Vos welcomes and endorses is yet another vital National Democratic Revolution intervention aimed at weakening the private sector and bringing the country closer to a ‘socialised’ economy.
Proposed amendments to the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act have been heavily criticised by various right-wing religious, conservative and ‘classic’ liberal groups. While the bill is not perfect, much of the criticism is based on a misrepresentation (or misunderstanding) of the amendments, and driven by an ideological antipathy towards the eradication of systemic inequality, especially in the ‘private’ sphere.
Minister says private business taking too long to weed out whites from leading positions
Employers in South Africa may dismiss staff who refuse to receive a vaccination against the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
Trade union Solidarity says it will institute legal action against those employers who dismiss employees who choose not to be vaccinated.
Tito Mboweni, the architect of many of South Africa’s labour laws, said it may be time to review them to ensure they aren’t impeding economic growth.
The Department of Employment and Labour has issued an updated occupational health and safety directive which, among other things, expressly permits an employer to implement a mandatory workplace vaccination policy subject to specific guidelines.
Nearly 64% of the country’s young people in South Africa are unemployed.
Ramaphosa admitted this is something no country can afford.
TERS benefits had been disbursed at a cost of R58 billion by March 2021.
Johannesburg – Employers should find a reasonable resolution that accommodates all parties where employees refuse to be vaccinated for medical and constitutional grounds, says Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi.
VICTIMISE workers who refuse to be vaccinated at your own peril. That’s South Africa’s largest labour federation Cosatu’s warning to employers as the Covid-19 vaccination drive gets in full swing, with some people still having misgivings about the potential side effects of the shots.
Disability inclusion is about far more than hiring people with disabilities.