With the period of goodwill upon us, Labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant, has wished the workers of the country good luck and extended the message to Nedlac constituents from business and government.
She was speaking ahead of the closure by many firms and the resultant long distances to be undertaken on South Africa’s roads.
“While wishing all the workers a deserved rest, I must hasten to urge them to behave responsibly and be courteous to other road users, spend their hard-earned case responsibly and recharge their batteries for 2011 and its challenges. For our part, we promise to do all to promote the Decent Work Agenda that is inextricably linked to the human rights culture. Again, we wish to remind all that workers’ rights are human rights and therefore a collaborative approach will help cement this culture,’’ she said.
Turning to inspection and enforcement of labour laws, the minister said the coming year will see a “more rigorous focus on ensuring compliance with all the basic labour laws of the country, with the domestic sector among the first to be targeted. She appealed to those employers who have not yet registered their employees within the domestic sector to do so before the department conducts raids early in the new year.’’
Teams of inspectors are already preparing to raid the sector in all provinces in the third week of January. At the same time, Oliphant has paid tribute to employers across sectors who “have complied with the laws of the country, especially around health and safety in the workplace.’’
“It is not right to paint all employers with the same brush. We need to acknowledge the good work being done to discourage wrongful practices by a few bad apples among employers,’’ she said.
Oliphant urged Nedlac members, particularly the labour movement, to work with her department to raise awareness about the labour laws among workers. “We should know that by working ceaselessly to educate workers about their rights and obligations, half the battle will be won,’’ she said.
The minister also wished all South Africans and foreign nationals in our country a prosperous festive season.
Source: Department of Labour
