Labour market stakeholders urged to make submission to address gender-based violence and harassment at the workplace
Stakeholders in workplaces will have until 21 October 2020 to make comments to the Draft Code of good practice on the prevention and elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work.
Addressing the Department of Employment and Labour workshop intended for Mpumalanga Province today, Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) Commissioner, Dr Annelie Gildenhuys said the code will have impact for everyone.
Dr Gildenhuys said the draft published in August brings clarity to the country – in defining what is an employer, the legal framework, principles and what violence and harassment is. It also offers guidelines on elimination and strategies to deal with violence and harassment.
South Africa has not yet ratified the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Convention 190.
The Code provides a framework on the interpretation and implementation of Employment Equity Act pertaining to:
- violence and harassment, including gender-based violence in world of work; and
- provide guidelines to employers, employees, employers organisations and unions on how to deal with violence and harassment in the world of work.
The ILO’s Convention 190 recognises the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
In January 2020, Uruguay was the first country in the world to ratify the ILO’s Convention 190, which recognizes that violence and harassment at work can constitute a human rights violation. The new Convention and Recommendation were adopted at the International Labour Conference in June, 2019.
“South Africa agrees with the convention. There are now new forms of bullying through online channels. Violence and harassment is not only physical, it also includes psychological and emotional abuse,” said Dr Gildenhuys.
The new code will also apply to the informal sector, she said.
According to the code Labour Relations Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act describes violence as a form of misconduct; and violence and harassment as a health and safety occupational hazard - respectively.
The virtual EE workshops started this week on Monday for the Northern Cape and on Wednesday for Mpumalanga Provinces.
This year’s national series workshops/roadshows have been streamlined for each province to have a single session.
The objective of the workshops is:
- To publicise the status of employment equity in each province as reflected in the 20th Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) Annual Report;
- To solicit public comments on the published Draft Code of Good on the Prevention and Elimination of Violence and Harassment in the World of Work; and
- To advocate for online EE reporting.
The target audience for the virtual workshops includes but not limited to: employer and their employer organisations; human resources executives and practitioners; EE Forum members; assigned senior managers/transformation managers, academics; employees and trade unions; labour relations practitioners; and civil society organisations among others.
The schedule of the remaining Virtual workshops is as follows:
- Limpopo - Monday, 12 October 2020
- Free State – Tuesday, 13 October 2020
- KwaZulu-Natal - Thursday, 15 October 2020
- Eastern Cape - Friday, 16 October 2020
- Western Cape - Monday, 19 October 2020
- Gauteng - Tuesday, 20 October 2020
The national workshops are held from 10:00am – 12:00-midday.
The workshops also aim to create awareness on compliance with the Employment Equity Act, share the most current information and help prepare employers to submit accurate EE reports.
In order to participate in the EE Virtual Workshops – please confirm attendance through email to jullian.mohale@labour.gov.za; merriam.madupo@labour.gov.za
The Microsoft Teams Link will be sent through upon confirmation of attendance a day before the actual workshop.
Meanwhile, the deadline for 2020 EE reporting for Manual and Online submissions opened on 1st September 2020. Manual submissions closed on 01 October 2020 and online submissions will close on 15 January 2021.
Enquiries:
Musa Zondi
Cell: 067 426 4190
