SA Labour News

Where there is smoke, there is fire ....

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) was established under the Labour Relations Act as an alternative, and cheaper, method to resolve labour market disputes. The CCMA handles 500 new cases every day and has an annual budget of more than R200m.

Responding to practical problems with accessing the CCMA by residents of Atlantis, the Minister proposed some radical action. “On a certain day the CCMA must come to Atlantis. We must bring services to the people,” he said. He also called for the CCMA procedures to be ‘tweaked’ as they were becoming too much like a court.

Another concern was the use of the CCMA by senior employees such as CEOs. “When a CEO takes a case to the CCMA all attention is focused on them,” Mdladlana said, “and poor peoples' cases are delayed”.

“I want to remove all rich people – they should go to the Labour Court and leave the CCMA for workers,” Mdladlana said.

Well the polarisation goes on - if it is not black vs white or christian vs muslim then it is rich vs poor