Labour Minister, Honourable Mildred Oliphant, will as part of a push to create decent work kick-start the new year with a farm sector blitz inspection which will be followed by an Imbizo with surrounding communities on January 27 and 28 2012 respectively.
The blitz inspection will see a number of farms inspected for compliance on Occupational Health and Safety Act, Labour Relations Act, Employment Equity Act as well as for Basic Conditions of Employment. The Minister will also hold a media briefing on the outcomes of the blitz inspection on the 27 January.
The following day, the local communities will be able to engage the minister and other government departments on the Blitz outcomes and labour related issues at Mlungisi Sports Ground.
The day-long imbizo will be also attended by other Government Departments including Home Affairs, Water Affairs, Social Development, councillors from the broader Amathole District Municipality including the Amahlathi area. The departments will also use this opportunity to exhibit and share information about services they provide to communities.
The blitz is part of the minister’s drive to improve the labour law enforcement programme which has covered provinces like Limpopo, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. It is envisaged that all the other provinces will be visited before the end of the financial year in March 2012.
The main focus of inspection blitz will be on ‘problematic’ sectors such agriculture/forestry, construction, hospitality, private security, domestic, iron and steel and chemical.
In its Mid-term review in November the Department of Labour committed itself to ensure an 80% compliance rate of Labour laws by employers by the end of the financial year in March 2012. Some 52 442 inspections of workplaces to ensure compliance with labour laws of the country had already been conducted.
The department was on track to reach its target of 65 000 by the end of financial year.
Enquiries:
Musa Zondi
Tel: 012 392 9625 / 021 466 7167
Fax: 012 320 1942 / 021 462 2832
Cell: 082 901 8081
E-mail: musa.zondi@labour.gov.za
Vuyokazi Mbanjwa
Tel: 043 701 3079
Fax: 086 699 3742
Cell: 082 889 3936
E-mail: vuyokazi.mbanjwa@labour.gov.za
