Cabinet commends labour law compliance operations

Cabinet has commended intensified joint inspection efforts, led by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), to ensure that employers comply with recruitment requirements. 'Since the beginning of the seventh administration, the Department of Employment and Labour has issued fines worth more than R10 million to errant employers within the hospitality industry, who continue to employ undocumented immigrants,' Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said on Thursday during a media briefing in Pretoria. These inspections are similar to those being conducted in the trucking industry to ensure that employers uphold the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act 75 of 1997). "The inspections also revealed instances of non-compliance to labour laws, including the underpayment of wages, unlawful deductions, and inadequate health and safety measures in the workplace," the Minister said. READ I Employment and Labour blitz inspections and raids yield results Furthermore, Cabinet welcomed the increase in the budget for the Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) from R400 million to R2.4 billion in the current financial year. READ I Massive budget increase for TERS 'The increase is part of government's proactive response to help preserve jobs by assisting companies that find themselves in financial distress due to difficult economic conditions and thereby minimise retrenchments,' Ntshavheni said. Source: South African Government News Agency