CAPE TOWN - A mega-blitz of the Western Cape’s hospitality sector on Monday showed only 42% compliance among establishments.
The department said that on Monday it conducted 118 inspections, with 50 employers complying and 68 non-complying.
The areas of non-compliance included:
· Non-payment of overtime worked
· Non- compliance with Covid-19 protocols
· Unemployment Insurance Fund contributions not paid to the fund
· Employer not producing particulars of employment (contracts)
· Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessments not produced
The inspector-general of the Department of Employment and Labour, Aggy Moiloa, said it planned to host a hospitality sector seminar in the coming weeks as part of its education and advocacy efforts.
Western Cape chief inspector David Esau said inspectors remained on track to visit 500 workplaces by the end of the week.
He said three bed-and-breakfast establishments refused to comply with departmental requests for access to their premises, and the SAPS had to be called to assist.
Esau added that three businesses that employed foreign nationals were asked to provide proof of valid documents, which would be referred to the Department of Home Affairs for verification.
“The other issue we discovered was unpaid TERS (relief scheme) benefits to employees for the months of October 2020 to December 2020 and January 2021 to March 2021. The matter is currently being investigated by the department,” Esau said.
Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi also joined a team of departmental inspectors in Sea Point on Monday morning.
He lamented the continued non-unionisation of workers, saying the lack of union structures in some workplaces made the department’s work difficult.
“I hope employers will recognise the existence of unions in the hospitality sector so that appropriate structures of engagement can be established to stabilise the labour market,” Nxesi said.
“We have been working under difficult circumstances for the last two years of Covid-19.
“Workplace dynamics have shifted. Numerous workers are classified as atypical, and millions have been pushed into the informal sector in recent years. We must develop new strategies to cushion and protect vulnerable workers,” Nxesi said.
Cape Times