Private security sector warned for non-compliance to minimum wages
Gauteng accounted for 30,9% of the referrals, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 21,1%
A TOTAL of 322 cases in the private security sector have been referred to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) since the introduction of the new national minimum wages.
Gauteng accounted for 30,9% of the referrals, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 21,1%.
This is according to national senior commissioner for collective bargaining at CCMA, Haroun Docrat, who presented the statistics at a private security seminar in Johannesburg last week.
Docrat said there had, however, been a relatively low rate of unfair dismissal referrals related to the National Minimum Wage Act in the sector.
‘Some of the private security disputes relate to underpayment, unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment and disputes relating to compliance orders,’ said Docrat.
Department of Labour Chief Director: Statutory and Advocacy Services, Advocate Fikiswa Mncanca, said the industry has had a number of issues relating to compliance.
These include employers not issuing payslips to their workers, not granting their workers reasonable rest periods, non-payment of overtime work, the hiring of undocumented foreign nationals who are either paid less wages or not paid at all.
‘We are in an age of the fourth industrial revolution. The question is, where are we as an industry?’ asked Mncanca.
She also warned that workers have a right to be paid the national minimum wage.
The National Minimum Wage Act which came into effect in January, is set at R20 an hour, which is equivalent to R3 500 per month, depending on the number of hours worked.
It will be phased in for farm, forestry and domestic workers, as well as the welfare and care worker sectors.
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