The public consultations into the proposed amendments to the labour laws entered their second week with hundreds of employers and unionists engaging in rigorous debates in Bloemfontein today, 24 Monday 2011.
Marsha Bronkhorst, the Chief Director for Provincial Operations said the public hearings were an opportunity for stakeholders to see what the Department of Labour intends on changing.
“Please ignore what you have heard about the labour law amendments and listen to the presenters to enable you to make inputs,” she said.
Up for the discussions are the recently published Amendment Bills for the Labour Relations Act (LRA), the Employment Equity Act (EEA), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) as well as the new Employment Services Bill.
Deadline for comment is 17 February 2011.
Ian Macun, a senior official from the Department of Labour urged stakeholders to bring “well crafted comments” so that they may help in shaping the future of labour laws.
Macun said the amendments were meant to respond to the “growth” of atypical employment in South Africa. “We want to bring the law in line with developments in the labour laws. We also want to improve the functioning of labour market institutions,” he said.
Macun added that the department has an obligation to ensure that the labour laws conform to international standards.
As expected, Labour broking took the centre stage with unions calling for “outright ban” while employers urged the department to regulate the practice.
Enquiries:
Wisane Mavasa
Cell: 082 8061 351
