Introduction to Employment Equity?
The Employment Equity Act was first introduced into South African legislation in 1998, with a few amendments that have occurred since then. The purpose of the Act was to address past inequalities created through the legacy of apartheid, and to bring about a transformation within the workplace by ensuring that all individuals were able to participate equally in employment opportunities and address unfair discrimination.
Who needs to comply with this Act?
All business entities who employ 50 or more employees, or who meet /exceed the annual turnover threshold set by the Department of Labour are considered to be designated employers. Designated employers are required to comply with the full extent of the Act.
The process of compliance will require an entity to implement an employment equity committee, representative of their workplace in terms of race, gender and occupational level they occupy in the workplace. This committee will need to meet quarterly and will be responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring an Employment Equity Plan. This Plan will indicate the steps to be taken to achieve reasonable progress towards Employment Equity compliance.
The Department of Labour requires an annual submission to be completed by the 15th of January annually, reporting on the progress made towards transformation.