Department of Employment and Labour inspectors in the Eastern Cape province have found Mountain Glen Farm employer situated in Queenstown to be in arrears of over R400 000 towards Compensation Fund contributions.
During the farm inspection conducted for the Minister's visit which took place on Saturday (07 March 2020), the employer was also found wanting on numerous contraventions to the Occupational Health and Safety standards.
The employer was issued with contravention notices relating to operating without a certificate for electrical installations, forklift operators working without operator certificates and the forklifts not having adequate service records, revolving machines with no safeguard to prevent accidental body parts touching moving parts and, not having first aiders and adequate first aid kit for the workers.
Provincial Chief Inspector Lucky Mkhonto said the employer has since paid R100 000 towards the Fund and, the employer was being assisted to calculate and enter into an instalment agreement with the department. The employer is expected to comply within 60 days after being served with the contravention notices.
Mkhonto said since the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, the department's inspection and enforcement has in the last semester between April and September managed to recover over R27 million of the workers' wages from non-complying employers nationally.
During his visit to the farm, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi told the workers not to shy away from reporting unfair working conditions to the department. Nxesi said inspectors must ensure that issues picked up from the inspections must be followed through and ensure that workers were protected from any victimisation.
-ENDS-
For enquiries contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694
Teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour
© 2019 - The South African Department of Employment & Labour
