Inside this issue...

- Possible labour broker ban brings heated debate!
- There’s change in the wind at Fleet Street Publications too...

Dear reader,

I don’t know if any of you saw FSP’s Health and Safety bulletin last week, regarding the Labour Minister’s proposed ban on labour brokers?
Minister Membathisi Mdladlana likened labour brokers to “human traffickers” and assured the ANC would ban them following the elections.

Possible labour broker ban brings heated debate!

Feedback from our readers was encouraged and opinion was almost squarely divided in half. Here’s what some had to say...

“I think that the Minister should get hold of facts before making general statements.
I use a labour broker for almost 50% of my staff and they most certainly do contribute to UIF.
Without labour brokers many of these people would not have jobs at all, so the Minister should be thankful we have them. He may need to make use of them in the near future if he doesn’t get his act together.”
-Yvonne Tambourlas

“I am a Health and Safety consultant, and agree to a large extent with the Minister’s statement. Business owners really do abuse the system and continuously seek to find ways to avoid including the contract labour in Occupational Health or Medical Surveillance programs, training programs and even PPE issue requirements.”
-John Volsteedt

Are you sure you’re compliant?

It’s clear from John’s statement above that one of the main arguments against labour brokers is their apparent lack of compliance with health and safety regulations.

Are you sure you’re compliant? And I don’t only mean with health and safety legislation, but labour and employment law too?

You must ensure you comply with the labour laws. Companies and government departments are required by law to display a summary of the EE Act at their workplace. This is a mandatory notice for all employers, no matter how many people you employ! You also must display a summary of the BCEA where all employees can see it. Stiff fines are the order of the day if you fail to prominently display these Acts. Click here to order.

Look out for our May issue of the Labour Watch newsletter, where I’ll show you how to plan for the possible eventuality of no labour brokers!

There’s change in the wind for Fleet Street Publications too...

Our new website goes live tomorrow. All our staff have been testing it, making sure that by the time you get to see it, there’ll be no glitches. There’s further incentive to browse it: each of our divisions will be giving readers a chance to benefit from a special offer. So, take a look and take advantage!

I’m very curious to see what happens after 22 April regarding labour brokers. Some say it's mere electioneering tactics and labour brokers have nothing to worry about. Only time will tell.

Yours sincerely,
Lucelle Buchler
Editor-in-Chief