The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) remains deeply concerned by the Department of Employment and Labour’s capacity to enforce compliance with our labour laws and tackle unemployment.

The Federation notes the Department’s Annual Performance Report on various targets achieved by its Public Employment Services, Inspection and Enforcement Services, and Labour Policy and Industrial Relations Directorate. We commend the Department’s positive ramping up of workplace inspections. These are key to ensuring that all workers, in particular, the most vulnerable and unorganised, are fully protected and able to exercise their hard-won rights without fear of victimisation.

We are, however, deeply concerned by the reality that millions; particularly farm, domestic, construction, cleaning, security and gig platform workers continuously see their labour rights violated with impunity by rogue employers with few, if any consequences for them.  It is estimated that up to 45% of eligible employers are in violation of the National Minimum Wage Act alone.

We are extremely disappointed that the Department’s commitment to employing 20 000 contract labour inspectors through the Public Employment Programme from March 2025, has not materialised with less than 20% of the target having been met and reports indicating that many of these workers are not actively deployed or reporting for duty.

The increase in unemployment in the first Quarter of 2026 with an additional 300 000 unemployed was largely due to the failure to roll out the 200 000 teaching assistants to be funded through the Unemployment Insurance Fund due to bureaucratic ineptitude.

In spite of COSATU’s constant pleas to the Department over many years, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Bill which will legislate important measures to protect the health and lives of workers, has yet to be tabled at Cabinet let alone Parliament, despite it having left Nedlac in 2016, a decade ago!

Millions of workers expect the Department to help ensure that their rights to decent work are protected at all times. Millions of unemployed South Africans look to the Department to help ease the suffocating crisis of a 43.7% unemployment rate. It is critical that the Department work closely with COSATU and workers to ensure that these hopes and fears are addressed. An overhauled, fully capacitated Department is key to this.

Issued by COSATU

Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Mobile: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za