Masilo Lefika, the Department of Employment and Labour’s deputy director: of employment equity, called on employers to educate their employees on their harassment policies.
Lefika was addressing the last but least Employment Equity Roadshow for the year 2022 held in collaboration with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration(CCMA) at Vanderbijlpark today.
“Make sure that your employees are fully aware of the contents of your harassment policies. Make sure that they are aware of the policy, fully educated, and well informed on the contents thereof. It does not help to have a good policy which employees are not aware of, educated or informed of,” Lefika said.
He advised employers to include the issue of harassment in their orientation, education, and training programs in an accessible format making it easy for employees to understand and follow. “They must contain all the procedures and processes that must be followed when an employee has to report harassment.”
In unpacking case law on harassment matters, Commissioner Samson Phomodi from the CCMA told the gathering that when harassment occurs, in most cases there are the powerful and the weak. “This is where we as the Commission come in, to create an equilibrium with the law. People who ignore the law are just like those who recklessly drive through a red traffic light.”
He told the gathering that the issue of harassment is a subjective one. “It depends on what the recipient feels and not what others think about it.”
In closing the workshop, Julian Mohale reminded employers of the EE reporting which opened on 1 September 2022 for all designated employers and will close on 3 October 2022 for those submitting manually and 15 January 2023 for those submitting online.
The EE Roadshows are part of promoting the new Code of Good Practice on the prevention and elimination of harassment in the workplace.
The next and final Employment Equity Roadshow is scheduled to take place on 27 September 2022 in Bloemfontein, Free State. The workshop will start at 10:00 and conclude at 13:00. The venue will be announced soon.
The media is invited to attend.
More information on EE is obtainable from the Department website www.labour.gov.za including updates on the schedule for venues.
Media enquiries:
Teboho Thejane
Cell: 082 697 0694
E-mail: Teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za
