dept of labour investigate trucking industry complaints

The Department of Employment and Labour has conducted inspections in the road freight and logistics industry amid complaints that South African drivers were losing out due to truck companies employing foreign nationals.

The department’s Director-General, Thobile Lamati, revealed this on Tuesday to the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour, during an oversight visit to the Supported Employment Enterprises centre in Ndabeni, Cape Town.

The committee met with the department to discuss the latest developments in the road freight and logistics sector following the torching of trucks driven by foreign nationals on South African roads.

Lamati told the committee that a joint inspection task team comprising the Departments of Employment and Labour; Home Affairs; Transport; Police; the National Bargaining Council for Road Freight Industry and the RTI confirmed the prevalence of foreign nationals employed as truck drivers.

Other findings include non-compliance with Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) legislation, failure to pay overtime, Sunday work, holiday rate and implementation of incentive schemes.

The inspection also discovered non-compliance with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

The committee also heard about the lack of a “labour migration policy” in South Africa. The department said a process was underway to develop one, and will soon be tabled before the Cabinet.

“We now have a clear understanding of what is happening and we will continue getting regular updates from the department and other relevant stakeholders on the matter. It is work in progress. An attack on any worker, foreign or local, is a criminal offence and cannot be condoned,” said committee chairperson Mandla Rayi.

Rayi said they will meet with other select committees and the departments they exercise oversight on, so they can deal with the situation before it spreads to other sectors.

The committee was also briefed on the annual performance plans of the Supported Employment Enterprises, which are entities of the Department of Labour that provide work opportunities for people with disabilities.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Driver in Pongola Horror Crash, Sibusiso Siyaya, to Remain in Custody Until 2024 Pre-Trial

Sibusiso Siyaya, the truck driver behind the truck that killed 20 people…

Traffic cops pull exhausted truck drivers off N1 highway demand they sleep

Long-distance drivers, be it truck, taxi or bus drivers are prone to…

Zimbabwe only making 48 driver’s licences daily as backlog hits 150,000

HARARE – Over 150,000 new drivers are waiting for their metal driver’s…

Limpopo cops seize truck, illegally mined chrome worth R2m and arrest three people

Three suspected illegal chrome miners have been arrested in Limpopo after they…