Tag: Temporary Employment Services (TES)

Workplace legislation continues to evolve. Currently, South African employers face significant new responsibilities introduced by the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). They must also address the draft Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Return to Work Regulations.

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) in South Africa has risen to R28.79 per hour, effective 1 March 2025. This 4.38% increase from the previous rate of R27.58 reflects the government’s commitment to improving workers' livelihoods. However, it also poses significant challenges for businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which are already grappling with a rising cost of living alongside a sluggish economy.

Rural regions face a double-edged sword: a lack of skilled labour and a constant exodus of talent to urban areas. These challenges are further compounded by limited access to educational and training opportunities, hindering the development of a skilled local workforce, which in turn has a negative impact on economic growth.

In the ever-changing South African labour market, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) has adopted digital transformation to improve accessibility and efficiency. The introduction of an online portal streamlines CCMA referrals, accommodating modern communication demands.

With its two-tiered, highly unequal healthcare system, only 14.86% of South Africa’s population can currently afford private healthcare, and rising costs are making it difficult for many to keep paying their monthly medical aid premiums.

In any workplace, the relationship between management and the workforce can become tense or strained, for any number of reasons. Often, these tensions can escalate into industrial action, which can be severely disruptive to business.

It can be challenging to assemble a reliable, skilled workforce to run large-scale construction projects in rural locations. Often companies need to source and relocate skilled labour from other parts of the country or from within their company to meet project-specific needs.

Many South African businesses have been struggling since the initial COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. While the economy has seen slight improvements from last year, conditions remain uncertain and unstable. Many businesses are struggling to balance the need to stay afloat with the desire not to retrench any further staff.

Section 198A of the Labour Relations Act (LRA), also known as “deeming provision”, has been a contentious issue since it came into effect in 2015, and even more so since the Constitutional Court judgement around the Act in 2018. There are so many different interpretations of the law that it can be difficult to understand how to apply it to specific situations. Using a Temporary Employment Services (TES) Provider can further complicate matters, which makes it critical to have the right TES partner on board.

While the importance of mental and physical wellbeing is widely acknowledged, recent events have driven the message home hard. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the link between wellness and productivity due to Working From Home (WFH).