11 Dec 2013

Employees have been called on to familiarise themselves with labour laws in order to reduce the increasing labour related cases.

Speaking at the Department of Labour and Social Security stakeholders interaction workshop in Francistown on Tuesday, December 10, head of labour inspection, Mr Tshenolo Ratshosa said before employees could start working they should be served with a contract, detailing the conditions of work.

He said it was risky to start working without knowing the conditions of work and said their research had shown that once there was a dispute, employees feared to take a stand and this puts them in an unfavorable position.

Mr Ratshosa noted that if failure by employees to familiarise themselves with labour laws continues employees would continue to be at a disadvantage.

In some cases, workers failed to stand their ground for fear of losing their jobs while some ended up withdrawing the case even when they knew that they were right, he said.

He advised employees that before they could start working they have to understand the Employment Act which specifies the general conditions of employment and the workman’s compensation which deals with injury at work and how they could be compensated if the need arose. Mr Ratshosa said they have to know about the Trade Disputes Act which gives details on the process of conflict resolution, disciplinary hearings and how they should proceed to the industrial court.

He also noted that employees have to know about the relationship between their work and trade unions. Every employer is expected to keep employee records and failure to do so would result in a fine of not more than P1 000 per employee, he added. He advised stakeholders to always keep their records up to date as inspectors could visit their offices at any time.

For her part, labour sector coordinator, Ms Kenewang Orufheng who presented on HIV/AIDS and wellness in the world of work, said wellness in workplace should be promoted as it increased productivity and reduced persistent problems which interfered with workers’ rights. ENDS