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South Africa’s businesses and enterprises are regularly inspected by the Department
of Labour to make sure they are in compliance with labour laws.
But in South Africa, labour inspection has more often been associated with punishment
than partnership.
That attitude is changing, thanks to a new, more cooperative approach, developed with
the help of the ILO working closely with South Africa’s Department of Labour.
Paswane Tladi, Department of Labour, Limpopo Province
“Our message is the fact that employers are there to make business, the employee is
there to make sure they get money to support their families. Let’s get together to make
sure everything works well for everybody.“
Now, labour inspectors in South Africa work closely with companies like Westfalia Products,
giving them best practices to make sure businesses are running safely and productively.
Openness is the key. Before the inspection begins, company managers and labour inspectors
sit together and discuss the issues.
Then the Labour Inspection team fans out across the company’s premises, looking at everything
from working conditions to wages, from worker safety to working hours.
Sitting around a table together, the Labour Inspectors show the company’s operations
manager how to cut the amount of paperwork.
“We understood that we had to use that checklist, we couldn’t change it. So if we could change
it, that would be very helpful, it would sort out a lot of problems.”
“No you don’t have to change it. For each section, just extract what is relevant to
use, just extract it. So it’s going to be a shorter version? Yes, a shorter version
of this whole thing. Really I would be glad to do that, it would be much more applicable.”
The labour inspection team helped the company identify standards for better protective clothing
for its workers, cutting down on the job injuries, keeping productivity high and the company
competitive.
Solomon Monaiaa/Company Safety Representative “My message for other companies would be
that they should allow Labour Inspection so that they will be able to work under the right
conditions and in a humanitarian system.”
After the inspection, the inspectors and the company’s managers gather together once
again to hear the results and where compliance is lacking. The management team listens and
takes notes.
Giuseppe Casale, ILO “The labour inspectors as individuals can
do a lot to inform and make sure there is a better awareness of the risks. If the labour
legislation is not applied properly workers can be hurt, or damaged. Damaging the workers
means lost productivity and competitiveness for entrepreneurs. So both have strong interests
in making sure Labour Inspection can function.”
In partnership with trade unions and employers, and with the help of the ILO, South Africa’s
Department of Labour has now drafted a code of conduct for Labour Inspectors, to strengthen
the department’s capacity for strict enforcement standards.
The professional approach and the mutual cooperation, is paying off with better relations between
Employers and the Labour Inspectors.
Dorcus Molo, General Manager “You don’t have to wait for an external
organization to come and check your labour law compliance. You should make sure your
house is in order, because it is your house, after all.”