04 Jun 2026

The recently passed Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2025 will come into effect on July 01, 2026.

Speaking during a kgotla meeting at Ga-Masilwana kgotla in Molepolole on Tuesday, the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware said the Act came about as a consolidation of the previously fragmented labour laws which were now brought together under a single comprehensive framework.

He said all employers in the country should prepare themselves for several changes that were expected by the new legislation.

Maj. Gen Mokgware further said the legislation modernised worker rights, aligned with international labour standards and improved enforcement mechanisms across the country. He said the new law limited fixed term contracts to 12 months unless objectively justified and that those employed on contracts should be treated equally like permanent staff.

He said government had promised Batswana decent jobs and that temporary employment continued to take advantage of employees by giving them short term contacts of one to three months.

He further said the decision to do away with temporary work would benefit many to have better lives instead of short term contracts that denied them consistency.

Minister Mokgware cautioned employers to make sure that they had signed contracts with their employees including house helpers, construction workers and farm workers, adding that those who failed to oblige would face penalties.

He said the employment and labour relations law had enhanced leave entitlements that extended maternity leave to 14 weeks at 70 per cent salary pay. The minister said previously some employers denied workers maternity leave and some were not paid salaries for the duration of their leave.

Minister Mokgware said the new law had also introduced five days paternity leave for men to bond with their children, 10 days of adoption leave and 20 days of hospitalisation leave.

Maj. Gen Mokgware said the labour and employment law broadly prohibited discrimination of employees based on sexual orientation, health status, pregnancy and disability, and explicitly outlawed sexual harassment requiring employers to enforce strict complaint mechanisms.

He said the law would also streamline labour disputes by establishing a unified mediation and arbitration commission replacing fragmented district labour offices and Industrial Court. Maj. Gen Mokgware said unfair dismissals had been a song of the day for many employees adding that the new legislation safeguarded fair dismissals and establishes structured, negotiated retrenchment packages.

He stressed the importance of timeous payment of salaries to employees cautioning employers that there was no excuse for not paying their employees and those who did not oblige would face penalty fee of P10 000 or 12 months imprisonment.

He added that the new law gave the Director of Labour the powers to sell an employer’s assets if they failed to pay employees on time.

Some residents decried employers who treated their employees unfairly and discriminated them for voicing out their concerns while others said many were working without contracts and could easily be dismissed from work without proper procedures.

Mr Dimpho Dichaba who represented cleaners from Scottish Livingstone Hospital told the minister that they had not been paid their salaries for the past three months and their employer had cited non-payment from the Ministry of Health.

Mr Moreri Motlhobogwa applauded government for the changes in labour relations but decried that Ipelegeng workers did not have protective clothing to carry out their work and that was contrary to what the minister had said in his address.

Minister Mokgware assured them that new Act would deal with those who undermined their employees and urged companies to have a backup plan to continue paying their employees in a case where they experienced delays in payments from whoever had engaged their services.

Member of Parliament for Molepolole South, Mr Shima Monageng stressed the importance of employers adherence to the new employment and labour relations act. He said the government was committed to making sure that employees were taken care of and their rights were not trampled upon. ENDS