Compensation Fund educates domestic workers on their rights

POLOKWANE – To educate domestic workers on their rights and responsibilities in terms of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA), the Department of Employment and Labour’s entity, Compensation Fund recently convened a domestic employees’ workshop at Bolivia Estate.

The workshop was attended by domestic employees from various areas around the province and served as a platform to intensify efforts in ensuring that issues encountered by domestic employees at workplaces are addressed.

Domestic workers were not covered by the act in the past, but the COID Act 10 of 2022 has since been amended to include domestic employees.

The delegates were addressed by a number of representatives of stakeholders and representing the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), Commissioner Ephraim Sekele called on domestic employees to not fall prey to scammers who claim to represent the CCMA if they make certain payments to them.

He emphasised that the work performed by the CCMA is free of charge to the workers.

He encouraged workers to personally visit CCMA offices when they encounter challenges and not be sidetracked by scammers pretending to offer assistance.

He called on the workers to ensure that they get into contractual agreements with employers detailing every working condition so that the law can protect them when they face challenges.

“Ask for contracts so that you can determine your salary, hours of work, leave days and other benefits. Don’t wait until you encounter disputes with your employers, use the law to protect you,” encouraged Sekele.

Delivering messages of support, labour federations representing Fedusa, Saftu, and Cosatu called in a unified voice for the domestic sector to be professionalised and unionised.

The federations have called on government to strengthen and reinforce labour laws and ensure that employers adhere to the national minimum wage.