Chair, this Bill contains some sensible features that we support, but it also raises some questions. The alignment of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act with the constitutional rights of children and the international labour standards is indeed positive and the Minister and her department deserve to be commended for this initiative.
Ons het egter 'n probleem met die skrapping van artikels 71 en 72 van die Wet op Basiese Diensvoorwaardes wat dit vir die werkgewer onmoontlik maak om protes aan te teken teen 'n afdwingingsbevel en om teen 'n bevel van die direkteur-generaal na die Arbeidshof te applleer. Die skrapping van hierdie regte is twyfelagtig op 'n grondwetlike basis aangesien die rels van natuurlike geregtigheid ondermyn word. Daar kon veel eerder 'n wysiging gewees het wat vir die balansering van die werknemer en werkgewer se regte voorsiening maak, deurdat veral kleiner werkgewers, wat die grootste werkskeppers in Suid-Afrika is, wel beswaar kan maak of met appl kan voortgaan.
Die rede vir die beskerming van kleiner werkgewers is juis om hulle nie in die onmoontlike posisie te plaas waar die regte van die werknemer en die arbeidsdepartement effektief kan lei tot die afskaling of sluiting van die besigheid nie. Te veel klein besighede sluit eerder hul deure as om gehoor te gee aan wetgewing wat eintlik vir groot besighede, wat beperkings makliker kan absorbeer, bedoel is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[However, we have a problem with the deletion of sections 71 and 72 in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, which makes it impossible for the employer to object to an enforcement order and to appeal to the Supreme Court against an order by the Director-General. The deletion of these rights is questionable on a constitutional basis as the rules of natural justice are undermined. An amendment providing for a balance between the rights of employees and those of employers, where smaller employers - the biggest job creators in South Africa - could in fact raise objections or lodge appeals, would have been preferred instead.
The reason for protecting smaller employers is precisely to avoid putting them in the impossible position where the rights of the employee and the department of labour effectively lead to downscaling or closing the business down. Too many small businesses rather close their doors than comply with legislation that is actually meant for large businesses, which are in a better position to absorb restrictions.]
Minister, in the end, while building a fine network of protection for the employee, we must become alert to the pressures bearing down on small and medium enterprises and must, for the sake of growing the economy and job opportunities, ensure more freedom for those businesses specifically. In the end, we must strike a balance between protecting the employee and the vehicles of value and employment creation. In the greater scheme of things, we cannot forget about the rights of the entrepreneur as well. Thank you.