Nxesi calls for big push to deal with Labour Court and CCMA backlog

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nxesiBL Premium reports that Department of Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi has called for a stakeholder workshop with his justice counterpart, Ronald Lamola, and the CCMA to address challenges at labour courts and the dispute resolution body.

“There must be a massive workshop where all stakeholders will be there [and] identify all the problems,” Nxesi said, during a webinar on Labour Court and CCMA backlogs organised by the Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa). It was reported in 2021 that the CCMA, which processes about 200,000 cases a year involving unfair dismissals, wage disputes and retrenchments, had been hurt by crippling budget cuts imposed by the Treasury. The budget cuts allegedly forced the CCMA to outsource its dispute referral system to corner stores and internet cafes, with security guards and touts exploiting workers by charging up to R900 to make copies of and complete dispute referral forms. Fedusa’s Riefdah Ajam spoke out against backlogs at the CCMA, and the “ugliness” of cutting budgets at a time when cases were going up. During the webinar, Nxesi advised that over the past three financial years (2020/21 to 2022/23) the CCMA’s caseload increased from 154,142 referrals to 184,075. “The CCMA tells me that the biggest challenge is sitting with the Department of Justice. No matter how effective and efficient the CCMA can be, but outcomes of the CCMA often have to go to the Labour Court. That is where they get stuck. Resources are the biggest factor in employing more judges, court rooms, etc.,” Nxesi said. Judge President of the Labour Court, Basheer Waglay, said backlogs in the court were a result of increasing jurisdictions, “with more work being allocated but with no change in infrastructure”. Labour unions needed to be trained to resolve matters on the shop floor instead of running to the CCMA and courts to settle a dispute, he argued.


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