Review of goals, performance
Assessment affords opportunity to iron out glitches in services that could lead to frustration among the public
THE Department of Labour is assessing its objectives and performances. This close look at itself is important because the department controls the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Workmen’s Compensation Fund and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
The smooth running of these entities would enhance our working lives, and if there is a glitch, it could lead to enormous frustration.
Many have experienced long queues, missing papers, non-payment and the like. It is important for us to encourage the department to use this careful look at itself to improve its services.
In essence it has to strengthen occupational safety and protection, and it needs to provide equity in the labour market.
It must protect vulnerable workers and contribute to employment creation. One of its aims is to promote sound labour relations and monitor the impact of the legislation.
Its overall performance is judged against targets set by itself, but each one of us could report back about experience and interface with the department.
It would be interesting and important for our readers to let us know both their positive and negative experiences with bodies that fall under the department’s control.
The department has thus far reported that its overall performance has improved and its administration is at almost 75% capacity.
One area that needs to be carefully looked at is the inspection and enforcement services, which appears to be at a low.
The department has only 1 600 inspectors countrywide, and there are millions of businesses. It’s important for trade union officials and shop stewards to have a careful look at each one of the businesses they are involved in to ensure that issues such as safety, health, protection of vulnerable workers and labour relations are monitored.
Any breach of departmental rules should be monitored and reported, as the department does not have the capacity to do this itself.
With regard to health and safety inspections, only 62% were found to be in order, and many concerns were raised with regard to the safety of buildings and bridges. There was a problem with many of the government buildings and it was acknowledged that the inspections of buildings are reactive due to complaints by organised labour.
The Public Employment Services Department is not providing many work opportunities and doesn’t seem to be making a dent in unemployment.
Supported employment enterprises, which is a Labour Department project did not achieve any of its targets, and this seems to be an enormous problem area.
The department also has other functions, such as Productivity SA and Nedlac. Both these entities cost millions of rand in upkeep, and although they have many and varied functions, we don’t often see results and don’t feel the value. It can be said that Nedlac has brought the social partners together and is striving for industrial peace in South Africa.
Hopefully, we will reap some of those benefits this year. Nedlac did receive a qualified audit and there was about R400 000 of irregular expenditure. The department is looking into this and hopefully will not allow it to reoccur.
The CCMA had 25 000 cases referred to it in January this year. Surprisingly, only 1 700 of these cases were with regard to the national minimum wage.
There appears to be a 10% increase in the number of referrals, and we are expecting this to grow exponentially this year.
Good news is that the CCMA took only 24 days to deal with conciliation cases, which is below its legislative target and the entity took only 54 days to deal with arbitration cases. This, compared to the civil courts, is fantastic.
If a case is referred to the high court, it can take two to three years to be heard. The CCMA needs to be applauded.
Over and above the good work it’s doing, it’s reaching out to the public to capacitate them to better understand the law and their rights.
So far this year it has conducted 600 outreach services.
It is clear the CCMA will need at least a 20% increase in its funding from the government to achieve the same results this year.
The CCMA spends a lot of time, trouble and money training and developing both its own staff and shop stewards.
The Compensation Fund is still a problem area, and I daily receive calls, emails and letters from members of the public who are experiencing non-payment from the fund.
The fund is still not able to sort out its enormous backlog of claims, stretching back almost 20 years.
That being said, the system is running a little bit more smoothly and the new commissioner of the Compensation Fund has introduced more efficient structures.
Employers are still complaining about the inability to register and the non-payment of the salaries that they have had to pay for injured employees.