Sunday Tribune reports that employers have been warned against locking employees inside business premises. The warning was issued by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) following last week’s joint inter-departmental inspection blitz at clothing and textile factories on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.
Advocate Michael Msiza, the department's acting chief director of statutory and advocacy services, said the DEL would not tolerate the exposure of workers to deadly situations. “It is illegal to lock people behind high walls and locked gates, as this may pose serious health and safety issues. Workers have a right to freedom of movement both inside and outside the premises,” he said. At Mandeni Municipality’s Isithebe Industrial Estate force had to be used to open some of the inspected factories.
One of the factories that was found to be locked during an inspection on Thursday was Rongshou Clothing, where the manager had allegedly locked workers inside. “One can assume that this conduct highlights a serious level of concealment and illegality happening inside. Sealing a factory on its own is tantamount to non-compliance,” said Msiza. During the inspection at Rongshou Clothing, eight illegal immigrants from Mozambique and Malawi were arrested. The factory had an ablution facility not suited for human use, posing health, safety, and dignity risks. It was found that workers were paid R5 per hour, way below the current statutory R28,79 per ordinary hour worked. There was also non-compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and non-compliance with firefighting regulations.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Sunday Tribune
- Read too, Locked in and underpaid: Labour blitz uncovers factory abuses in Mandeni, at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA LabourNews home page