BusinessLive reports that the Department of Labour has conceded that it erred when it changed the wording of the definition of "worker" in the National Minimum Wage Bill.  

This followed a Business Day report detailing how the bill, which was gazetted in November 2017, went against recommendations of experts and a National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) agreement.  In the bill, "workers" are defined as employees as per the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), which would result in the exclusion of millions of independent contractors, subcontractors and task-based workers and limit the reach of the minimum wage coverage.  The department said on Wednesday that it was never its intention to deviate from the Nedlac agreement made between the government, business and labour and that it would correct the error.  Labour federations welcomed the department’s concession, but were concerned that the government was committing similar errors too often.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive
• Read the Department of Labour’s press statement at DOL online

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page