Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi has pleaded with employers to comply with the labour laws and the Covid-19 regulations. Addressing reporters during a social cluster press briefing on Tuesday, 31 March, the minister revealed that some employers were still not adhering to the relevant laws.
With the implementation of the national lockdown by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 26 March, there has been understandable confusion. While some employees have been told that continuing to work is unlawful, others are legally obliged to continue working. How do you know which category you fall into, and what are your rights in each case?
In the wake of the announcement of the national shutdown, the Minister of Employment and Labour has announced the introduction of measures in response to coronavirus (Covid-19) and its impact on UIF contributors. There has also been the establishment of a Rapid Response Teams to be deployed to each province to assist companies with processing of claims in cases where they have retrenchments of more than 50 employees.
One of the key findings from a rapid response research report produced by the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Centre for Social Change and the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO) is that of the companies that have ceased operations, only a few have applied to the C19 TERS fund.
Johannesburg, 23 March 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic, which has been declared a National Disaster and has prompted a 21-day national shut down, is having catastrophic effects on businesses throughout South Africa and around the globe. Micro, small and medium enterprises are among the hardest hit by the crisis. Government departments have been inundated with enquiries from SMMEs, requesting help to mitigate the devastating impact the pandemic is having on their livelihoods. Government’s commitment to SMMEs The Minister of Small Business Development, Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, announced that Government is introducing support measures for SMMEs during this extremely difficult time. The Department’s …