The new owner of a forestry company in Houtboshoek, South Africa, faces prosecution for allowing untrained workers to operate dangerous machinery and paying them low wages.
Labour Department investigators who visited the Highveld Harvesting Company also discovered that the owner was not complying with certain provisions of labour legislation and was unable to provide proof of the company’s registration or of its last payment to the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
The inspectors also found that the workers’ wages had been cut from R27.50 a day to R17.50 and have reported that fact to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
Follow up visits will be made to the company and if the owner fails to comply with labour law the Labour Department will recommend prosecution.
