Employment and Labour engages Chinese employers to shape compliance with employment and labour laws

Department of Employment and Labour Inspection and Enforcement Services to engage Chinese employers to shape compliance with employment and labour laws

The Department of Employment and Labour’s Inspections and Enforcement Services (IES) branch regularly engages stakeholders to shape awareness and compliance with South Africa’s employment and labour legislation.

As part of this contact the department will host another in a series of advocacy session for the Chinese Business Community. The engagement will be held in Cape Town at the Lagoon Beach Hotel in Milnerton on 04th August 2026.

The objectives of the Advocacy Session are to raise awareness about compliance to employment and labour legislation as well as immigration legislation.

The engagement is designed to thrash out some of the issues experienced by workers and employers within Chinese Businesses, and these relate to:

• Low wages and non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage;
• Absence of written contracts and unfair dismissal;
• Long working hours without overtime pay;
• Lack of paid sick leave and annual leave;
• Poor working and sanitation facilities;
• Lack of protective equipment and health and safety measures;
• Workplace injuries with no access to compensation;
• Unemployment Insurance benefits;
• Exploitation of foreign nationals and undocumented workers;
• Sexual harassment and gender-based violence; and
• Victimization of workers who report violations.

The expected outcomes of the Chinese Business Advocacy Session are:

• Increased awareness and understanding of employment and labour legislation;
• Formalisation of unregistered workers into Unemployment Insurance Fund and Compensation Fund systems;
• Stronger multi-departmental coordination for compliance with South African Laws;
• Immediate response to worker grievances and labour complaints;
• Strengthened trust in government institutions;
• Improved compliance rates among Chinese Business Employers; and
• Nonemployment of undocumented labour migrants.

Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, the Honourable Jomo Sibiya, MP as well as the Ambassador of the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China in South Africa, His Excellency Wu Peng having been leading the partnership.

The department has previously had advocacy in Newcastle and Johannesburg with Chinese businesses.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za

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