2019 New Human Resources Legislation for South African Business

Labour Law, Uncategorized, Update,

2019 New Human Resources Legislation for South African Business

NEW POSTER REQUIRED FOR
THE BASIC CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT ACT

2019 started with four new pieces of legislation in the Human Resource Space as well as new regulations for UIF and new rules for the CCMA.  Over the next few weeks Connold & Associates will be sending out information with regard to the new legislation in a series of blogs.  The intention is to inform you of the changes, particularly where changes need to be made to policies and procedures.

The legislation promulgated on 1 January 2019 is:

  1. The National Minimum Wages Act
  2. The Labour Law Amendment Act
  3. The Labour Relations Amendment Act
  4. The Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Act

We will begin with:

The labour law amendment act

&

the EFFECT ON THE BASIC CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT ACT

The Labour Law Amendment Act was introduced by a private member of parliament (Mrs C Dudley) and introduces new leave classifications in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act which are:

Adoption LEave

This is available for any employee who has adopted a child under the age of two years in an adoption process which complies with the Children’s Act of 2005.  The leave granted is ten weeks dated either from the day the adoption order becomes final or the day the child is handed over to the care of the employee by a competent court, pending the finalisation of the adoption. 

The employee must notify the employer one month prior to the adoption (or as soon as is reasonably practicable) of the date on which the employee will embark on leave and the date that they will return from leave.

Commissioning Leave

This is available for any employee who is a commissioning parent in a surrogate motherhood agreement in terms of the Children’s At of 2005. The leave granted is also ten weeks dated from the day the child is born. 

The employee must notify the employer one month prior to the anticipated birth of the child (or as soon as is reasonably practicable) of the date on which the employee will embark on leave and the date that they will return from leave.

Parental Leave

This leave replaces family responsibility leave for the reason of the birth of a child (paternity leave) which has been deleted from the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

10 days parental leave is granted to:

  • The father of a child
  • One of the adoptive parents of a child (the other parent will apply for adoption leave)
  • One of the parents in a surrogate motherhood agreement (the other parent will apply for commissioning leave).

In implementing this leave into the workplace, we need to consider the following:

  1. As with maternity leave, all this leave, including parental leave, is not paid by the company, but claims for payment can be made through the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
  2. If you have a policy that pays towards maternity leave, we need to consider how to fairly accommodate adoption and commissioning leave in a similar way
  3. Essentially, male employees are losing a three day fully paid paternity leave for an unpaid ten-day parental leave.  What is the fair way of accommodating our fathers going forward?

It is important to note that this leave is now in place and that employers need to include it in letters of appointment and in leave policies with effect from the promulgation date. We also need to update the posters on the wall.

Please contact our associates if you have more questions.

2019 Training Schedule Available

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Our 2019 training schedule for our SABPP accredited courses is now available. All our courses can be viewed here (Training Schedule 2019) or in the table below. All courses may all also be structured as in-house company-specific programmes.

You can also find more information on each of our training courses in the link below or by contacting Tessa Lourens using the contact form below or by calling us at our office on 011 452 1707.

Training Programs

For bookings, please use the bookings forms on the specific event in our calendar

Our next training course is Leadership Development on 21 February 2018

Skills Plans Submissions April 2019

Skills Development, Update,

Skills Plans Submissions April 2019

By submitting your Skills Plans to the SETAs, levy paying companies are able to claim up to 20% of the paid Skills Development Levies from SETA for that period as well as an additional Pivotal grant for qualifying companies.

All training reports and training plans are to be submitted to the relevant Seta by the end of April 2019.

Companies who submit training plans and training reports become eligible for additional opportunities which exist for the training and development of both existing employees and the unemployed in order for the employers to gain funding.  These Discretionary grants are in the form of Learnerships, Apprenticeships and approved fundings as decided by the SETAs in line with their industry strategies.

If you would like Connold and Associates to process your Skills submission to the relevant Seta that you are registered with, please will you contact Tessa Lourens using the below form or at 011 452 1707 and we will then guide you through the process.

New Regulations Booklet – Hazardous Work for Children

Labour Law, Update,

New Regulations Booklet – Hazardous Work for Children

Regulations with regard to hazardous work for employees under the age of 18 were gazetted in January 2010 in line with section 43 (1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act which allows the Minister of Labour to gazette regulations.  In 2013 the Basic Conditions of Employment Act was amended with the following purpose:

  • to prohibit anyone from requiring or permitting a child under the age of 15 years to work;
  • to make it an offence for anyone to require or permit a child to perform any work or provide any services that place at risk the child’s well-being;

This week the Department of Labour published a booklet on their website which summarizes these regulations but also includes provisions from the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.  The communication has a number of interesting aspects to it and we have attached it for general interest.  Of particular interest is:

  1. Children under the age of 15 may work in the Advertising, Artistic and Cultural Activities industries and regulations governing these activities are covered by Sectoral Determination 10 which includes hours of work, rest periods, food accommodation etc.
  2. Children under the age of 15 may do the following work, other than as an employee as defined in the BCEA:
    • Collect contributions on behalf of a fund-raising organisation registered in terms of the Fund Raising Act, (Act No. 107 of 1978)
    • Do voluntary work for a church, charitable organisation or amateur sports club as part of his/her schooling, do work that is appropriate for a person of that age or which does not place at risk the child’s well-being, education, physical or mental health, or spiritual, moral or social development.

The booklet outlines, in line with international practices, the basis on which children under the age of 18 may work and identifies work which they may not be asked to do.  The full booklet is available below.

It is a criminal offence to require a child under the age to work in work not covered by the clauses above, punishable by a maximum prison sentence of 6 years.

Child-Labour-Regulations

Constitution Ruling With Regard to Temporary Employment Services (TES)

Labour Law, Update, , , ,

Constitution Ruling With Regard to Temporary Employment Services (TES)

Much has been said in the Media with regard to the recent Constitutional Court Reading with regard to Temporary Employment Services, or what is more commonly knows as Labour Brokers. The judgement clarifies the amendments to the Labour Relations Act of 2014.

The amendments of 2014 sought to protect employees in Labour Broker arrangements which were clearly articulated in a letter addressed to NUMSA by employees of Concor Engineering which were sent to them in 2009 (Labour brokers: The good, the bad, and the ugly). It is particularly clarifying clause 198A 3 (b),i.e.

  1. For the purposes of this Act, an employee –
    1. Not performing such temporary service for the client is –
      1. Deemed to be the employee of that client and the client is deemed to be the employer; and
      2. Subject to the provision of section 198B, employed on an indefinite basis by the client.

It is important to clarify a few issues which were raised in the judgement:

  1. The judgement only affects employees who earn below R205 433.33 per annum (gross salary) or R17 119.43 per month. These are regarded in the law as vulnerable employees.
  2. The judgement affects employees who are employed by a Temporary Employment Service (TES), but whose activities cannot be considered as Temporary. In other words, they are doing work that is core to the business of the client and that will last for longer than three months or in perpetuity.
  3. The employee is not replacing another employee who is sick or on maternity leave.
  4. The important thing is to distinguish between a TES and a sub-contractor or service provider.
    1. A sub-contractor has his own employees and provides not just the labour, but also the materials and tools required to do the work required.
    2. The sub-contractor has expertise which is not the core business of the client (e.g. security)
    3. The sub-contractor employs managers which directly supervise the employees in the carrying out of their duties.

By contrast, the TES merely supplies the labour who are then supervised and provided materials and tools by the client.

It is important to note that all TES providers must be registered as such and certified by the Department of Labour. The Department in the process of certification inspects and ensures that the TES is operating in accordance with all labour legislation.

We will see with interest what the effect of this judgement is going to be on the TES Industry.

For more information please see the press release on the Numsa website: NUMSA wins landmark Constitutional Court decision on labour brokers!

Employment Equity 2018 submissions

Employment Equity, Labour Law, Update

Employment Equity 2018 submissions

According to the Employment Equity Amendment Act 2013, a designated employer must submit a report to the Department of Labour once every year.

Please remember that a designated employer is defined as:

  1. an employer who employs 50 or more employees;
  2. an employer who employs fewer than 50 employees, but has a total annual turnover that is equal to or above the applicable annual turnover of a small
    business as defined in the table below:
Sector Or Subsections In Accordance With The Standard Industrial Classification Total Annual Turnover
Agriculture R 6 million
Mining and Quarrying R 22.50 million
Manufacturing R 30 million
Electricity Gas and Water R 30 million
Construction R 15 million
Retail and Motor Trade and Repair Services R 45 million
Wholesale Trade, Commercial Agents and Allied Services R 75 Million
Catering Accommodation and other Trade R 15 million
Transport, Storage and Communications R 30 million
Finance and Business Services R 30 million
Community, Social and Personal Services R 15 million

Failure to comply could result in a fine of between R 1 500 000.00 and R 2 700 000.00 or between 2% and 10% of turnover – whichever is greater.

In the event that you would require our assistance in the submission of the required reports and in order for Connold and Associates to accurately determine whether your company is classified as a designated employer, please can we request that you provide Tessa at our offices with:

  • The projected number of employees on your payroll as at 1 August 2018.
  • The company’s current annual Turnover.
  • Confirmation of Sector company is registered under.

Please contact Tessa Lourens at our office using the contact sheet below, if you would like us to assist with the relevant submission of your EE report to the Department of Labour.

Leadership Development Programme

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Leadership Development Programme

Connold & Associates are hosting a Leadership Development Programme in Cape Town This Month (March 2018 dates to be confirmed).

There are many examples of employees in supervisory and management positions who are uncertain of how to lead their teams to greater performance. This programme integrates through theory and experiential learning, the essential components of leadership in business today.

The Programme enables Managers to integrate their knowledge and practice in Leadership Development. The content is spread over a 10-month period. Participants are expected to attend a 1-day programme per month. The programme covers 5 important principles of leadership: Understanding Business, Introduction to Management, Performance Management, Leadership and Industrial Relations.

For More information please visit our course page here.

Please see the accreditation for our course here.

Employment Equity 2017 submissions

Employment Equity

Employment Equity 2017 submissions

According to the Employment Equity Amendment Act 2013, a designated employer must submit a report to the Department of Labour once every year.

Please remember that a designated employer is defined as:

  1. an employer who employs 50 or more employees
  2. an employer who employs fewer than 50 employees, but has a total annual turnover that is equal to or above the applicable annual turnover of a small.

business as defined in the table below:

Sector Or Subsections In Accordance With The Standard Industrial Classification
Total Annual Turnover
Agriculture R 6 million
Mining and Quarrying R 22.50 million
Manufacturing R 30 million
Electricity Gas and Water  R 30 million
Construction  R 15 million
Retail and Motor Trade and Repair  R 45 million
Wholesale Trade, Commercial Agents Services and Allied Services  R 75 Million
Catering Accommodation and other Trade  R 15 million
Transport, Storage and Communications  R 30 million
Finance and Business Services  R 30 million
Community, Social and Personal Services  R 15 million

Failure to comply could result in a fine of between R 1 500 000.00 and R 2 700 000.00 or between 2% and 10% of turnover – whichever is greater.

In the event that you would require our assistance in the submission of the required reports and in order for Connold and Associates to accurately determine whether your company is classified as a designated employer, please can we request that you provide Tessa at our offices with:

  • The current number of employees on your payroll as at 1 August 2017
  • The company’s current annual Turnover
  • Confirmation of Sector company is registered under

Please contact Tessa Lourens at our office if you would like us to assist with the relevant submission of your EE report to the Department of Labour.

Lifeskills Training Course

Training

Lifeskills Training Course

Beqfin recently held a one-day workshop (Accredited by the SABPP), for their staff.  The purpose of the workshop was to educate employees with regard to their rights as employees and to demonstrate through a series of exercises, the importance of productivity and customer service.  Below are photographs of the staff planning and executing the building of a lego tower.

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