​The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA) has pledged to work with the Department in ensuring compliance in the Hospitality sector.

FEDHASA’s representative, Butch Jantjes, said as the union they were available to engage with the Department in ensuring compliance with applicable labour legislation in the sector. He encouraged employers in the sector who attended the Webinar to follow all the prescribed legislations in order to be compliant.

He was speaking at a Webinar hosted by the Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspection and Enforcement unit.

"It is important to adhere to the applicable legislations, this legislation is not there to kill you but to uplift the employees," said Jantjes.

The main objective of this Webinar was to empower North West Province’s stakeholders in the hospitality sector on compliance with the different legislatives that govern the industry. One of the pieces of legislation that the stakeholders who attended the Webinar were encouraged to comply with was the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act.

Director for Advocacy Services, Dr Pravine Naidoo said the purpose of the National Minimum Wage Act was amongst others to improve the wages of the lowest paid workers; to protect workers from unreasonable low wages; and to preserve the value of the National Minimum Wage.

"The National Minimum Wage is the floor level below which no employee should be paid and the current level is R20,76 per hour and has been implemented and enforced from 1 March 2020 with Farm/Forestry workers set at R18,68 per hour; domestic worker at R15,57 per hour; workers on the EPWP at R11,42 per hour; and workers with learnership agreements set out in Schedule 2 of the proposed NMW Act" said Dr Naidoo.

The Webinar which was held under the theme: "Paying the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is the right thing to do" also covered advocacy on compliance with the Compensation for Occupational Injuries Diseases Act, the Unemployment Insurance Benefits amendments, National Minimum Wage Reported cases (CCMA), National Minimum Wage Act and Basic Conditions Employment Act Amendments.