Free State business people turn up in large numbers at Department of Labour’s taking services to the people.
The Department of Labour’s taking services to the people countrywide campaign kicked off outside Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State on Friday with business people from all parts of the province attending in great numbers.
Acting Director General (ADG), Teboho Maruping, said the campaign was aimed at interacting with stakeholders to improve their ability to prosper.
“In this week long campaign we were able to ensure that over 1000 work seekers were registered by the Public Employment Services (PES); R1.4million in claims was processed in terms of Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF); over 205 claims were processed in the area of Compensation Fund (CF), paying R1.3million; and a total of 38 companies were reviewed by Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES)”, Maruping said.
Employer organisations represented ranged from local chambers of commerce to provincial structures.
Teboho Thejane program director and Acting NEDLAC Executive Director, urged employers to remember that “workers rights are human rights’’.
Mothunye Mothiba, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Productivity South Africa (PSA), said for business to prosper they should ensure that they manufacture their goods on time, they should try to keep the waste very low and that their products are of high quality. He said PSA was about improving efficiency of businesses and enterprises.
Speaking about the National Minimum Wage (NMW), Thembinkosi Mkalipi, Chief Director: Labour Policy and Industrial Relations (LP & IR), said it was the floor which no employee can be paid unless the employer has applied for an exemption and permission granted by the Department.
He said the rationale for coming up with a NMW was that it was easy to enforce rather than having 20 different payment levels in sectoral determinations. He said the NMW would be reviewed annually by the NMW Commission. In doing so the Commission would look at productivity, inflation, wage levels and the cost of living.
The taking services to the people will culminate in Phuthaditjhaba with a public event at which the Department will interact with the community in the areas of UIF, PES and CF.
Enquiries:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 697 0694
