Department says equity flouting employers to face the music

The Department of Labour will leave no stone unturned in its effort to ensure substantive compliance with the Employment Equity Act, large groups of employers heard in Limpopo this week.

The message was delivered on Tuesday and Wednesday in Thohoyandou and Polokwane respectively. It is part of the drive to encourage employers to submit their reports ahead of the October 1 equity reporting deadline.

Speaking about the Director-General Review process under Section 43 of the Employment Equity Act, James Molane, of the Employment Equity section, said employers in the private and public sector would be investigated for compliance with the Act.

The section empowers the DG to conduct a review of any designated employer to determine compliance. The DG may request submission of the current analysis, the Employment Equity plan or any relevant information. He may also request a meeting with the employer or any stakeholder to discuss its Employment Equity plan and the implementation thereof.

“I can assure you that our inspectors will see to it that governments departments, provincial governments and municipalities comply with the Act. Failure to do so could see them facing prosecution by the Labour Court.

“In the 2008/9 financial year, we have identified 60 employers from the Johannesburg Securities Exchange listed companies for review,” Molane said.

He said among findings of the previous reviews were that: Employment Equity was not part of the integrated business plan – Employment Equity plans not properly informed by Employment Equity analysis-and there was no proper consultation with employees.

Speaking about the Code of good practice on key aspects of HIV/Aids and employment, Thabile Kunene, an official at the department, said there was need for awareness raising to reduce ignorance and discrimination as well as to encourage support for those living with the disease.

She said HIV/Aids had a huge impact on the workplace as it led to absenteeism, high ill-health and death rates – leading to low staff moral.