Legal updates and opinions
Authors
News / News
Employment Equity Act compliance
There has been a recent increase in the number of employment equity audits conducted by the Department of Labour on designated employers.
The reason for this increased drive towards enforcement of a designated employer’s obligations in terms of the Employment Equity Act No.55 of 1998 (“EEA”), may be related to the recent amendments to the EEA, effected in 2014. The amended EEA makes provision for the Department of Labour to immediately approach the Labour Court for the imposition of a fine on a designated for non‑compliance with its obligation to‑
- prepare and/or implement an employment equity plan; or
- submit an annual employment equity report (EEA2).
The Department of Labour is entitled to approach the Labour Court for the imposition of a fine without giving the designated employer an opportunity to remedy its non-compliance even in the first instance of non-compliance.
The fines which the Department of Labour may request are substantial and may have devastating financial implications on a company if applied cumulatively. Alongside is a table listing the fines which may be imposed for the various non compliances.
| Previous Contravention | Contravention of any Provision of sections 16 (read with 17), 19, 22, 24, 25, 26 and 43(2) | Contravention of any Provision of sections 20, 21, 23 and 44(b) |
| No previous contravention | R1 500 000 | The greater of R1 500 000 or 2% of the employer’s turnover |
| A previous contravention in respect of the same provision | R1 800 000 | The greater of R1 800 000 or 4% of the employer’s turnover |
| A previous contravention within the previous 12 months or two previous contraventions in respect of the same provision within three years | R2 100 000 | The greater of R2 100 000 or 6% of the employer’s turnover |
| Three previous contraventions in respect of the same provision within three years | R2 400 000 | The greater of R2 400 000 or 8% of the employer’s turnover |
| Four previous contraventions in respect of the same provision within three years | R2 700 000 | The greater of R2 700 000 or 10% of the employer’s turnover |
WHAT IS A DESIGNATED EMPLOYER?
It is an employer who ‑
- employs more than 50 employees;
- employs less than 50 employees but whose annual turnover exceeds the threshold set out in the EEA (which varies depending on industry);
- is a municipality; or
- is an organ of state.
HOW DOES A DESIGNATED EMPLOYER AVOID BEING FINED?
A designated employer may avoid being fined by the Department of Labour by –
- preparing and implementing an employment equity plan;
- submitting an annual employment equity report and income differential statement;
- consulting with its duly established employment equity committee; and
- complying with other ancillary obligations such as assigning an employment equity manager and displaying the relevant information in the workplace.
OUR SERVICES
We are able to assist with ‑
- consulting with designated employers and ensuring that they understand their obligations;
- conducting employment equity audits to determine if the company is compliant with its obligations as a designated employer;
- detailed training of the employment equity committee on their role and functions;
- providing training on the recently gazetted code of good practice on the preparation and implementation of employment equity plans; and
- any other requirements for assistance with employment equity compliance.
Latest News
Automatically unfair dismissals
ISSUE IN DISPUTE If an employee does not adhere to the dress code in the workplace because of his religion, [...]
The Protection from Harassment Act 17 of 2011
The Act provides simple procedures and remedies in addition to those available to employees in terms of other legislation (such [...]
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission (“Commission”) finalises its first case
On 23 January 2018, the Commission issued final findings against SAB & T BEE Services (Pty) Ltd ("SAB&T") and Ms [...]
Parental leave – a pending new entitlement as a minimum term of employment
Currently, South African employment laws provide minimum entitlements to specified leave types for all employees, such as annual leave, sick [...]
Can TWiT.tv prevent Twitter from expanding its business? The dangers of co-existence agreements
VS An interesting spat is on the brew between TWiT.tv and Twitter. Most of us are aware of the Twitter [...]
You, robot
Science fiction – love it or hate it. However, the allegory presented by science fiction directs our thinking in a [...]
