The State IT Agency (SITA) says it will not ban labour brokers, but the industry is in a panic over concerns that jobs may indeed be lost.
Speaking today at a briefing, in Pretoria, general manager for human resource services Ranti Mahlabana called for calm in the industry, saying discussions will be held with IT contractors who provide services to SITA.
“We will continue to have labour brokers at SITA, but I am making a plea: let's not wreak havoc in the process.”
The Department of Labour has proposed changes to the Labour Relations Act, which would either lead to the banning or regulation of labour brokers. While discussions have been held across the country, word on the government's decision is only expected on 1 April.
Mahlabana pointed out that SITA will always require flexible staffing models, but that it would have to make adjustments in response to the government's decision later this year.
However, industry representatives at the briefing noted that SITA could be taking decisions prematurely, and increase the risk of losing out on rare and specialist skills that it lacks.
Members of the industry noted they had already received letters of concern from staff over aspects of the changes that SITA is considering. SITA has accelerated the process of offering its current contractors fixed-term or permanent employment.
Vendors, which made up the bulk of the meeting, noted there was a lot of uncertainty over the future of contract workers and that the process needed to be correctly managed.
Mahlabana added, however, that the IT sector could be treated differently, but said the Department of Labour had not indicated what classifications would apply to the sector.
He also pleaded with the industry to cooperate with SITA, saying there were clear signs of resistance and that certain service providers were already encouraging their staff not to accept SITA employment offers.
“The process now is about how do we ensure we're able to weather the current challenges,” noted Mahlabana.
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