Department of Labour puts private security sector in the beam of spotlight

The Private Security Sector has despite tough economic conditions experienced a phenomenal growth in South Africa, and with this growth new challenges have emerged making the sector problematic in terms of compliance with labour legislations.

The Department of Labour will be hosting a Private Security Seminar targeting captains of industries, employer organisations, interested stakeholders as well as union representatives in the sector. The Private Security Sector has been identified as one of vulnerable and labour-intensive industries which has the potential to employ quite a considerable number of people and therefore assist in fighting poverty and unemployment.

To that effect, proper regulation and inspection of the sector, therefore becomes both imperative and indispensable. Thus continual engagement and interactions with all stakeholders with vested interest in the sector is of paramount importance. This will assist in reaching consensus on how to move the sector forward and rid it of lapses in regard to compliance with labour laws.

The Private Security Seminar will be held under the theme: “Improved compliance in the private security sector”. The Seminar will be held on November 24-25. The first day will be dedicated to the training of shop stewards, and the second day will be Seminar proper. More than 200 delegates are expected to attend the Seminar. The Seminar will be held at Zebula Lodge Golf Estate in Bela Bela, Limpopo Province.

The training of shop stewards will focus on informing them about Sectoral Determination requirements, the operations of the roster system, claims processes of the industry pension/provident fund, dispute resolving mechanism by CCMA, and the responsibility of Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) in the private security sector.

The second day will be dedicated to the unveiling of national results of the Private Sector blitz inspection conducted recently, there will also be presentations by the Employment Conditions Commission on the state of the sector, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, the industry Provident Fund, SAPS, trade union(s), the South African National Security Employers Association, the Compensation Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Some of the department’s past inspections blitz have uncovered that the Private Security Sector is found wanting when it comes to registration of workers; denial of worker rights; lack of training; failure to comply with the Sectoral Determination on the payment of minimum wage to workers, growing predominance of fly-by-night businesses; failure to provide workers with uniforms and suitable weapons; lack of benefits for workers and “non-unionisation” in the sector.

Some of the distinguishing features about the Private Security Sector is that it is subject to Sectoral Determination which governs the minimum wage and conditions of employment in the vulnerable sector. The private security sector has more than 8000 registered security businesses. South Africa has some 479 617 registered and active security officers.

Source: Department of Labour

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