Hon Deputy Speaker, I rise on behalf of my colleague, the hon Mncwango, who is unable to be in this debate today. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act protects the most vulnerable in our country from unscrupulous employers and employment practices. In South Africa we have many cases where legislative protection of the workforce is necessary, and it is in this respect that the Basic Conditions of Employment Act has done a great deal to improve the lives of many citizens through improving their working conditions and wages.
Recently we have had the issue of the extremely poor working conditions of workers in the textile industry in Kwazulu-Natal, to which they were being subjected by foreign national company owners. This is unacceptable and we hope that this amending Bill will further entrench minimum and decent work standards in workplaces around South Africa.
The IFP also hopes to see the inspectorate division further capacitated, so as to enable it effectively to carry out its mandate to ensure that our workplaces comply with the minimum standards, as legislated for. In this Bill we see amendments that ensure that a worker is protected as a full- time worker after a period of six months of temporary work and is entitled to all privileges enjoyed by other workers.
The regulation of contract work is an area surely in need of clarity and regulation, and the amendments in this regard are very welcome. Labour brokering is another contentious issue which is also dealt with and, as the IFP, we reiterate our position that labour brokering must not be done away with, but rather stringently regulated.
Firmly believing in our timeless philosophy, as the IFP, of Education for Liberation, we believe that children should not have a place in the labour force; children should be at school, learning. Child labour is cruel in that it not only physically and psychologically damages the child, but also prevents that child from doing anything else, as he or she has been robbed of an opportunity for education. Heavy penalties must therefore be exacted from any employer engaging in such practices.
In conclusion, the IFP will support this Bill and we will support any action that makes the lives of South Africans better. I thank you. [Applause.]