Inside this issue...

-    Labour law is too rigid
-    3 answers about the CCMA you can’t afford not to know!

Dear reader,

This Saturday, I was engrossed in the weekend newspapers, happy in the knowledge that I still had another day and a half before work, and all its attendant issues, reared its head.

Labour Minister prepared to die!

Imagine my surprise when, nestled between Paris Hilton and Christiano Ronaldo’s budding romance, and comments on Barry Tannenbaum’s financial woes, I spied the headline, “Minister declares war on brokers.”

Now, I think you’ll agree: I assumed until any formal legislation is passed regarding labour brokers, and their possible ban, we’d see no more on the subject.

Apparently not!

Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana says he is “prepared to die” to stop private labour brokers from abusing workers in South Africa.

He’s blamed “uncontrollable” labour broking for causing xenophobic violence, farm killings in Kwazulu-Natal and the recent deaths of almost a hundred mine workers in Welkom. Quite an extensive list of offences to lay at one group’s door!

Labour law is too rigid

He believes the real problem is that South African labour law is too inflexible and is “stifling the development of employment in the country.”

3 answers about the CCMA you can’t afford not to know! 

Perhaps our Labour Minister has a point, but our laws are there to protect us, our employees, and to assist in regulating business. You can’t afford to NOT know and understand them, much less ignore them because you feel they’re too strict, regardless of what he says! It could be to your detriment...

For instance, do you know that 60% of cases seen at the CCMA are ruled in favour of employees? Wouldn’t you like to minimise your chances of losing by knowing your way around the CCMA so your focus is on the dispute at hand, and not the forum in which you’re arguing it?

Can you answer these three questions about conciliation?

1.    Where will theconciliation be held?
2.    When will the conciliation take place?
3.    What powers does the Commissioner have at conciliation?

If you’re not sure of the answer, you definitely need a little labour law help from us!

Until next time,

Nadia Pisanti
Managing editor:Labour Watch Newsletter