Tag: Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)

In an era marked by rapid change and uncertainty, South Africa’s latest adjustment to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) earnings threshold offers a timely lifeline for businesses under pressure. The minister announced a modest 2.9% increase, which aligns with the November 2024 inflation rate.

In a significant move poised to reshape the landscape of traditional medicine in South Africa, the Minister of Health has proposed new regulations for traditional health practitioners. These regulations, set to be implemented under the Traditional Health Practitioners Act of 2007, aim to address longstanding concerns about the legitimacy of medical certificates issued by traditional healers and bring greater clarity to businesses grappling with uncertainty in this area.

Paying employees sounds straightforward, but it is not unusual for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to make mistakes in managing their payroll. These errors can have serious consequences, ranging from damaging employee morale to fraud losses, and tax penalties for late or incorrect tax payments and submissions.

It’s the law. If you are absent from work for more than two consecutive days, or more than twice within eight weeks, you have to provide a doctor’s note to your employer, according to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA).

The earnings threshold will increase to R254,371.67 with effect from 1 April 2024, entitling employees falling below the threshold to stricter protections in terms of labour legislation.

You’ve just received your dream job offer, but there’s a catch. You need to start the new job in a month’s time, but your current employer requires you to give three months’ notice.

The Johannesburg High Court has ruled that the current law regulating maternity leave, adoption leave and surrogacy leave in South Africa is unconstitutional and invalid, on the basis that it discriminates against different types of parents and violates their dignity and the interests of their children. 

Breast milk has long been acknowledged as nature’s perfect food for infants. Its unique properties continue to benefit children long after their mothers have stopped breastfeeding. For working women, breastfeeding is easy and convenient to do while they are on maternity leave, but it becomes significantly more challenging when they return to work.

Section 41(4) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (BCEA) relieves an employer of the duty to pay severance pay in circumstances where the employee who is dismissed for operational requirements “unreasonably refuses to accept the employer’s offer of alternative employment with that employer or any other employer”.

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, commonly known as the CCMA, is a statutory body which aims to “advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace”.