Govt clamps down on illegal employment in CBD
The Department of Labour has warned that many SPAR stores around Pretoria are currently under investigation.
Eight foreign nationals and two citizens were arrested in the CBD for contravening the labour laws on Monday.
Labour department Inspector-General Aggy Moiloa said the foreign nationals worked for the two South Africans at a home goods retailer, Metro Home Centre (MHC) World, on the corner of Du Toit and Johannes Ramkhoase streets.
She said the department was conducting workplace inspections for labour law compliance, warned that more would be raided in the future.
“In MHC World, the employees were found not to have the right documents as foreign nationals,” said Moiloa adding that the right documents would have been work visas.
“In terms of the immigration law, when you find such discrepancies or noncompliance, the employer also gets arrested. Because they would have violated the Immigration Act.”
Moiloa said the employer was taken alongside the people that were found without valid documents to partake in economic activity.
The department also issued immediate prohibition notices against the use of eight other employees at the store because of the contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
She said the prohibited employees were working without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) such as suitable shoes and uniform for the work they did.
“According to the regulation and the Act, no one is supposed to work in hazardous areas unless they are provided with the proper PPE. Hence, such employees will not be rendering their work until their employers provide them with proper PPE.”
She said however the prohibited employees were still entitled to their salaries even when off-duty in such circumstances.
“There were also two employees who had bought their own work uniform which the law is against and for those two, the employer has to pay them back their money,” she said.
Moiloa said that SPAR stores around Pretoria are under investigation.
She said various inspector teams are “flooding” areas in and around Gauteng in Silverton, Midrand and other places.
“So far, the Department of Labour is looking out for compliance with the various basket of legislation that we enforce. If national statistics are anything to go by, we are not expecting great compliance levels.”
She said the department would be inspecting until Thursday in the province.
The arrests are part of the week-long labour department mega blitz inspection in collaboration with home affairs immigration services and the police.
📷 #MegaBlitzInspection | Day two of Mega blitz Inspection in Gauteng. The team of inspectors are now at @TAKEALOT in Glen Marais in Kempton park.
The inspections are focusing on #Wholesale and #Retail and #Hospitality sectors. The blitz inspections will be completed on Friday. pic.twitter.com/LCwCG7rGBw
— Department of Employment and Labour (@deptoflabour) September 27, 2022
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