Minister Mildred Oliphant warns stubborn employers against non-compliance to EE Legislation
25 April 2016
South Africa’s pace of transformation in the labour market is moving on a stubborn path, especially at the upper levels of management, where the White group has a tight grip.
According to the 16th Commission For Employment Equity (CEE) Report launched by Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant in Pretoria today, the representation of the White group at Top Management Level was (68.9 percent) which is more than six times their Economic Active Population (EAP). This is also the case with the Indian group at 8,6 percent as they have a representation of three times more than their EAP (see report - PDF). The opposite is true for the African at 14,3 percent and Coloured groups at 4,7 percent - as they are under-represented in relation to their EAP.
The representation of persons with disabilities decreased from two percent in 2014 to 1.7 percent in 2015 at this level, with males having the most representation than females.
The CEE Report citing figures from Statistics South Africa shows that Africans account for 77,4 percent of EAP; Coloureds 10,0 percent; Indians 2,7 percent and Whites 9,9 percent. The report reflects on the status of employment equity in South Africa and how the country has progressed in its workplace transformation.
Oliphant said the Department of Labour would give employers at least six months to rectify the situation before the might of the law takes its course.
The Minister expressed concern about the state and pace of transformation in the country, in a year that marks a very important milestone in the history of the country, which is 20 years since the country adopted a new Constitution.
The report further states that the top management level in the public sector is mostly populated by Black people (Africans in particular), while White people are mostly concentrated in the private sector.
The Commission for Employment Equity is a statutory body established in terms of Section 28 of Employment Equity Act (No 55 of 1998) whose role is to advise the Minister of Labour on any matter concerning the Act, including policy and matters pertaining to the implementation towards achieving the objectives of the EEA.
Concerning gender, white females have a favourable amount of representation than other females in all provinces compared to other race groups, with the Western Cape having the highest representation (14.0 percent), followed by Limpopo Province (13.6 percent).
The CEE shows that whilst males are predominantly represented in most of the business types.
Commenting on the recent racial tensions and a wave of unsavoury racial attacks in the social media, she said: “These are not just isolated statements but reminiscent of race relations and workplace relations in particular. The statistics presented by the Chairperson bears testimony to this phenomenon.
“White people continue to receive preference over other race groups. Even when their contract of employment is terminated in one organisation, they are recruited back again at the same top management level in another organisation during the same period, which is an indication of opportunities afforded specifically to them at the expense of other race groups,” Oliphant said.
The report said more than two-thirds majority male representation exists in the Private Sector (76.8 percent), as compared to 72.8 percent in Local Government and 66.6 percent in National Government. At the top management level, the Private Sector (72.4 percent) and Educational Institutions (63.0 percent) show an overwhelming White representation. African people feature prominently in the Local (76.0 percent) and Provincial (74.6 percent) Government sectors, as well as in State-Owned Companies (56.6 percent).
White males make up a third of top management in the National Government. Of particular significance is the increased representation of foreign nationals (5.4 percent) in the Educational Institutions, which even exceeds that of some designated groups at this level.
The CEE said the South African economy remains white male dominated in most sectors of the economy.
Oliphant said complaints on equal pay are streaming at the CCMA and this is an indication of things not going very well in workplaces. The Minister also expressed concern about the statistics for Persons with Disabilities, “the gains we have made as a country are reversed by the continued exclusion of the most vulnerable people in our society”.
In 2015, 25 030 Employment Equity reports were submitted compared to 24 291 reports in 2014, representing a slight increase i.e. three percent.
Almost half of the reports (45.9 percent) were from employers in the Gauteng province representing 3.7 million employees. Following this is the Western Cape Province with 19.7 percent reports representing more than a million employees with 13.8 percent from KwaZulu-Natal.
Issued by Sithembele Tshwete, Labour Ministry: Media Liaison Officer, 25 April 2016
