JOHANNESBURG, Jan 25 (Reuters) - South Africa is proposing sweeping chages to labour law.
The following is a look at the four bills
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES BILL
Aims:
* Set up a government employment agency. Private firms would be required to register job openings with the agency.
* Employment services would be free to the public and the agency will coordinate public and private sector jobs.
* Finds jobs for youth, disabled and disadvantaged. Criticism:
* Adds new layer of bureaucracy on employers, making hiring more difficult
* Would likely not function efficiently, given poor track record of state-owned enterprises and government agencies. This makes it more difficult for unemployed to find jobs
BASIC CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT AMENDMENT BILL
Aims:
* Increase the benefits provided to contract workers to get them as close to possible to those of full-time employees.
* Remove "certain exploitative practises by employers" and increase penalties found violating the law."
* Says "employers must contribute benefits of similar or equal value to employees employed on a fixed term contract as the benefits afforded to permanent employees."
* Sets minimum prison sentence of 12 months for those who do not provide equal benefits to contract workers and a minimum of six years for those who violate child employment laws.
Criticism:
* Increasing benefits given to temporary workers would greatly increase the cost of hiring them.
* A clause that prohibits temporary employment services will fundamentally alter ways employers can hire short-term workers.
* Could lead employers to slash temporary jobs
LABOUR RELATIONS AMENDMENT BILL
Aims:
* Calls on employers to justify hiring temporary workers
* "Align the employment laws to ensure decent work by regulating sub-contracting, contract work and outsourcing".
* Says "an employee must be employed permanently unless the employer can establish a justification for employment on a fixed term."
Criticism:
* Makes it more difficult for employers to hire seasonal workers, while giving employers fewer options for staffing.
* Makes temporary employment less viable.
* Increases job insecurity for temporary and part-time workers.
EMPLOYMENT EQUITY AMENDMENT BILL
Aims:
* Provide legal measures to ensure equal pay for equal work.
* Calls for employers to provide data on work, pay and remuneration.
Criticism:
* Adds new layer of bureaucracy and adds costs to employers (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Giles Elgood)