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Employment and Labour Minister promises ‘persuasive’ approach towards minimum wage offenders

Details

nxesiBusinessLive reports that the Department of Employment & Labour (DEL) will not use a “hammer” to deal with employers who do not adhere to labour legislation, including national minimum wage (NMW) offenders. 

Minister Thulas Nxesi says it will opt instead to persuade offenders.  Nxesi, a former trade unionist, announced in his budget vote address last week that the implementation of the NMW had not led to wholesale retrenchments, as forecast by some analysts and lobby groups, and that there was in fact high compliance with the legislation, which kicked in on 1 January.  He was appointed as minister of the new department in May and faces a daunting task with the addition of employment to what was once only the labour portfolio.  Asked last week whether the department would be looking at formal consequences for not adhering to labour laws, Nxesi said that it would deal with matters “case by case”.  “It’s not as if we are coming here with a hammer to deal with the employers.  It’s to say we want to convince you, to persuade you to comply.  But if you don’t comply and there is no reason not to comply, we will have to deal with you,” Nxesi said.  He added that the department’s response would depend on the nature of the issues, with some major transgressions becoming criminal cases, and others resulting in licences being suspended.  Having announced in parliament that the department would be employing 200 additional labour inspectors, Nxesi also noted that employees who were not unionised depended on the department and its inspectors to enforce their rights.

  • Read the full original of Claudi Mailovich’s report in the above regard at BusinessLive
  • Read the text of Nxesi’s budget vote speech at DEL News
  • Read too, Cosatu notes and welcomes the Department of Employment and Labour’s 2019/20 budget vote, at Cosatu News (press statement)


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