POLOKWANE – Employees at China City Polokwane received an early bonus in the form of monies owed to them by their employer after the Department of Labour intervened.
The employer owed the workers R89 430 and had been slapped with a compliance order for not complying with the sectorial determination for retail and wholesale sector. The case had escalated and resulted in the involvement of the Hawks Priority Corruption Investigation Unit after the employer attempted to bribe the investigating inspector to cancel the compliance order.
Read more: 41-year old man arrested at Polokwane China Mall for bribing an official
Spokesperson for the Department of Labour, Lerato Makomene, said “We are glad the employer paid what is due to his employees. This will send a strong message to other employers across the province that we mean business. The department has zero tolerance for non-compliance; we will not compromise our legislations at the expense of vulnerable workers. A job well done to our inspectors for bringing the employer to task”. The matter between the Department of Labour and Party Home Paradise (Pty) Ltd as well as Hong Kong Spa for the contravention of Sectorial Determination no 9 clause 2(1) Underpayment of wages, 13(1), payment of overtime, 18(1) payment for work on Sundays and Clause 20(2)(b) for payment on public holidays as per the compliance orders dated 23 and 27 March 2018 has been resolved. Hawks Spokesperson, Matimba Maluleke, confirmed the employer is currently out on bail. It is now up to the justice system to find him guilty or not and duly sentence him,” she said.
