The bill has been sent back to be revised after the state’s legal advisors flagged serious shortfalls By Chris Gilili Sex workers and activists marched to the Department of Justice in Pretoria on Thursday. They were demanding that government fast-track and finalise a bill to decriminalise sex work. The draft bill is being revised after the state’s legal advisors flagged serious...

The short answer Each time you claim benefits, the UIF cycle stops and then starts again when you return to work and resume paying UIF contributions. The whole question Dear Athalie I worked at a retail store from 2012 to 2022. I got sick in 2019 and was unable to work, so I claimed sickness benefits for three months. After I got dismissed...

The short answer If your injury happened less than two years ago, your injury on duty case should still be open. The whole question Dear Athalie I was injured on duty, but now I have been retrenched because I cannot do my work properly. The doctor says I may have to use crutches or a wheelchair. Can I reopen my worker's compensation case? The long answer An injury...

The short answer You are supposed to pay UIF contributions until your employee stops working for you. The whole question Dear Athalie In April 2021, my domestic worker applied for a SASSA older person's grant. I then stopped contributing to her UIF because she would not be able to claim the benefits once she started receiving the grant. She kept working and officially retired...

The legislation was sent to the president more than two months ago 2 December 2022 | By Chris Gilili Domestic workers were excluded from claiming for compensation for work injuries until the Constitutional Court ruled in 2020 that a section of the Compensation Act was invalid. The amendment bill correcting this was sent to the President in September this year but has not...

The short answer Domestic workers are eligible for UIF and state pension. The whole question Dear Athalie Our domestic worker has resigned after nine-and-a-half-years' full-time work. She is 65 and has arthritis and diabetes. We haven't been contributing to her UIF because we thought she would get a state pension and couldn't get both. What do we do? Should we backpay her UIF and...

Women on Farms march against evictions in the Western Cape 27 April 2022 | By Liezl Human Farm worker evictions are likely to spike with the end of the National State of Disaster, Women on Farms (WFP) has warned. WFP said when cases already on the court roll were processed, thousands of workers and their families would be evicted. About 100 women marched...

An employer cannot interdict striking workers as a group if some of those on strike commit violence By Geoffrey Allsop The Constitutional Court has ruled that an employer cannot interdict striking workers as a group if some of those on strike commit violence To allow a broad interdict without proving that specific people in the group acted unlawfully would infringe on...

The short answer Review Applications must be initiated within six weeks of the award from the CCMA. The whole question Dear Athalie My case was at the CCMA until September. On 21 October, the CCMA found in favour of my employer, so now I want to take the matter to the Labour Court for review. I already have the case number but I'm...

Farmer says in court papers he may have suffered “economic harm” because of the activist By Liezl Human An activist with the Rural Legal Centre in Robertson has apologised to two farmers on social media as part of a settlement agreement after the farmers took him to court for harassment. The parties came to a settlement on Friday 4 June, agreeing that if...