Cape Town - The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) has noted with concern the lack of proper representation of designated groups in the labour force as they host an employment equity session today.
Under the title “Transformation is a process not an event” the session has been characterised as a “necessity” following damning reviews on a wide range of non-compliance issues by employers.
DEL’s Statutory and Advocacy Service chief director, advocate Fikiswa Bede, said: “The minister is having a session with employers with the hope of improving compliance in terms of transforming the labour market and also to ensure there is equality in terms of opportunities in this country.
“This is precluding the amendment that the department is working on which is important to communicate with relevant role players.”
Another key issue to be addressed today will be the Employment Equity Amendment Bill (EEB) which has already been approved by the National Assembly.
This amendment will allow Minister Thulas Nxesi to “set numerical targets for any national economic sector”, including “targets for different occupational levels, sub-sectors or regions within a sector” in order to achieve “equitable representation” at “all occupational levels in the workforce”.
However, the Institute of Race Relations’ head of campaigns, Gabriel Crouse, has warned that if passed into law the bill would have a catastrophic effect on businesses.
“The EEB provides for punishing non-compliance with these race quotas through multimillion-rand fines and the reintroduction of the same kind of pre-qualification race criteria recently struck down by the Constitutional Court.
“Most businesses would be bankrupted by fines of that size. And the bankrupting of every business as a result of the government’s social engineering has a multiplier effect, knocking other businesses in the supply-chain, and reducing employment, thereby reducing economic activity and investment, and increasing the tax burden on social care,” Crouse said.
Advocate Bede explained: “We are not saying if your company had only white people that you are going to dismiss those people and employ the designated groups but if a post becomes available that you give that position to the designated groups.”