The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes clarification provided by the Department of Employment and Labour on the appointment of the 10 000 additional labour inspectors.  

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) committed government to hiring 10 000 permanent labour inspectors this year to boost the existing 2 300 inspectors.  This is in addition to the 20 000 interns employed as inspectors through the Presidential Employment Stimulus on two-year contracts. 

These two timely interventions by the African National Congress led government will have a massive impact in helping to ensure all workers, in particular the vulnerable and unorganised, enjoy their full labour rights and protections.  The current 2 300 inspectors is simply inadequate for an economy with more than 17.1 million workers.

It is critical that the Department of Employment and Labour move with speed to recruit, appoint, train and deploy these inspectors.  They need to work hand in hand with Organised Labour and prioritise high risk sectors notorious for abusing employees and undermining labour laws, in particular farm, domestic, construction, hospitality, security, cleaning and transport workers.

This is a progressive step forward to ensuring that the days of construction workers being made to risk life and limb unprotected, municipal workers robbed of their salaries, security guards pickpocketed of their pension funds and domestic workers sexually harassed by their employers come to an end.

The ramping up of the number of labour inspectors from 1 400 in 2020 to the soon to be 12 300 permanent and 20 000 contract inspectors validates COSATU’s continuous engagements on this burning matter with government.  It shows the value of having a government led by the ANC and the need to invest in and capacitate the state to deliver public services and enforce the rule of law, including labour rights.

COSATU will continue to engage with the Department and Minister for Employment and Labour, Ms. N. Meth, on this important development to ensure its speedy implementation. 

Issued by COSATU Matthew Parks

Parliamentary Coordinator

Mobile: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za

Kind Regards

Zanele Sabela

Cosatu Spokesperson
Mobile: 079 287 5788

Email: zaneles@cosatu.org.za