Municipalities ignore labour laws

Municipalities in North West are failing to comply with labour legislation, Deputy Labour Minister Phathekile Holomisa said.

Rustenburg – Municipalities in North West are failing to comply with labour legislation, Deputy Labour Minister Phathekile Holomisa said on Wednesday.

“Of concern to us as department of labour is the number of municipalities in this province that do not comply with legislation, pushing us to issue notices with the aim to prosecuting them. We need to live by example.”

Holomisa was on a two-day tour in North West to meet with staff of the department of labour in an attempt to get to know challenges they were facing in their attempt to discharge government’s mandate.

He said municipalities had dismissed workers without following relevant processes and workers were not provided with protective clothes.

South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) members in the Ventersdorp municipality refused to work in April demanding to be provided with protective clothes.

Holomisa said the morale of staff was high despite some “challenges” found at labour visiting points where labour officials were expected to address issues affecting workers without enough tools to do the jobs.

“I am happy that morale is high. Overall they are doing their best under the circumstances. We listen to their (staff) concerns and there is undertaking at national office to address them.”

Holomisa said he was worried that some of the labour centres in North West did not have proper sheltering for people before they could be attended to by labour officials.

“We will ensure that provision of shelters will be sped up, people should not stand (exposed) to rain and sun. I am told this centre (Rustenburg) will have shelter by March next year. I am saying that is too far away…”

The head of the department of labour in North West, Andile Makapela, said the shelters would have seats for people to sit and lights to be used when it was dark.

“People who will be queuing there will be seated and if it becomes dark there will be lights,” said Makapela.

Holomisa said the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in North West was playing a useful role in highlighting the abuse of workers to the department of labour.

“Cosatu in North West, under the leadership of (former) provincial secretary Solly Phetoe (now Cosatu deputy general secretary) and chairman (Solly Lekhu), assisted the department. Cosatu in North West co-operated well with the department,” he said.

Phetoe was elected Cosatu deputy general secretary at the national congress in Midrand on November 26.

African News Agency

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