The Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch on Tuesday conducted an advocacy seminar in the Eastern Cape to create awareness on compliance with labour laws.
The four-day seminar, which began at Hotel Savoy in Mthatha aims to create awareness on compliance to labour laws as well as to inform and educate both employers as well as employees along with their organisations on labour legislation such as the National Minimum Wage Act (NMWA).
This also includes the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), Unemployment Insurance Act (UIA), Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) as well as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) processes.
“The seminar is aimed at protecting vulnerable workers by encouraging compliance with labour laws to both employers and employees. In addition, we highlight the processes that are involved when dealing with the CCMA on issues of noncompliance,” said Dr Pravine Naidoo, Director: Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations.
This is derived from the main aim of the IES branch, which is to empower through educating and sharing information with employers and employees with the main purpose of improving compliance and ensuring the realisation of decent work.
In addition, the seminar will highlight amendments to the NMWA, unemployment benefits and on the last day focus on a mission to visit the informal activities in the area with the intention to formalise it.
This entails putting this sector under the ambit of the labour laws enabling the informal sector to access services only available to the formal sector.