The most significant review of labour legislation in SA in more than 40 years is under way.
Come January 2014, changes to the Labour Relations Act (LRA), the Employment Equity Act (EEA) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act will come into force, which will have a significant impact on many organisations across SA.
On Friday, Adcorp released a new labour law Web site, called re-Act, with the aim to help businesses in assessing their understanding of the new legislation. While the service functions much like an application, it is actually a responsive site that can be accessed across all platforms, says Adcorp.
According to John Botha, a labour law practitioner and contributor to the application, many businesses do not realise that their current strategies may not measure up to new labour legislation standards.
"The amendments to labour laws represent the single largest amendments since 1980 and the potential impact on economic, employment and business sustainability is significant," says Botha. "Unfortunately, there are often conflicting legal interpretations on key areas such as fixed-term contracts, utilisation of labour brokers, equal treatment and organisational rights."
Botha believes re-Act addresses three key areas that businesses should focus on, the first being a self-assessment function that generates reports based on questions posed by key decision-makers about the amendments.
In addition, if the business needs to sharpen up on its understanding of a particular aspect of legislation, the app will provide the user with actual sections of the law pertaining to these specific areas, he continues. Finally, says Botha, the app also provides access to online resources, such as consulting services and access to the full laws.
With the promulgation of the new legislation almost upon us, Botha recommends businesses operating in SA get an assessment from a reputable partner who can tell them where they stand. "It is crucial for businesses to have a good grasp of this legislation, as staffing costs are often the largest component of expenses and labour law liabilities pose a serious threat," he says, highlighting that how a business secures staff can have a significant impact on its BBBEE scorecard.
Share