The government needs to be decisive and ensure employers comply with the Employment Equity Act
9 May 2023
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has noted the Department of Employment and Labour’s lamentations about the lack of compliance by employers, in particular the banking and financial sector, with the Employment Equity Act. The federation is calling on the government to move away from condemnations and be decisive to ensure employers comply with the letter and spirit of the Employment Equity Act.
COSATU, as a progressive trade union movement believes that the workplace should reflect the broad demographics of South Africa and we support the Employment Equity Act and its Amendment Act recently signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Act empowers the Department’s labour inspectors to issue compliance orders and to fine employers who routinely fail to show any progress in meeting their employment equity targets. The Department needs to move from a place of lamentation to one of action and deploy its inspectors to workplaces to deal with recalcitrant employers who still believe this is the 1950s.
The Amendment Act empowers the Minister for Employment and Labour to set specific targets for different economic sectors like banking, or specific categories, e.g. senior management, where employers show little interest in employment equity. The Amendment Act provides the necessary nuance and pragmatism that a demographically and regionally diverse society like South Africa requires.