WATCH: Employment equity amendment bill

SA’s employment equity laws are set for a major shake up. The National Council of Provinces recently passed the Employment Equity Amendment Bill. The bill is in its final stage of promulgation as it has been sent to the president for signing.
It will amend the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998.

The bill promises a shake-up of the country’s existing employment equity laws and will give the minister of employment and labour the power to speed up transformation in specific business sectors. It does this by empowering the minister to set sector-specific employment equity targets across most of SA’s major industries.

But many businesses say this will have the opposite effect and indeed retard growth and employment. However, mere compliance “box-ticking” with these requirements will not produce an inclusive, thriving economy with sustainable empowerment. The precursor to this is quality education and skills development and, of course, economic growth

To discuss the EE Bill, Michael Avery is joined by Thembinkosi Mkalipi,  the chief director of labour relations for the department of employment and labour, CEO of Global Business Solutions Jonathan Goldberg, and Gerhard Papenfus, CEO of  the National Employers’ Association of SA, Neasa. 

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