🇿🇦 Key Labour Relations Changes (2025–2026)
🇿🇦 Key Labour Relations Changes (2025–2026) Shared parental leave model – replaces separate maternity/paternity systems. Two employed parents can share four months and ten days of leave; single parents get four months. Adoptions up to age six and surrogacy are now covered. Zero‑hours and on‑call contracts – employers must specify guaranteed hours, cancellation notice, and pay for cancelled shifts. Protects retail, hospitality, and security workers from income instability. Severance pay increase – raised from one week to two weeks per completed year of service for retrenchments. Earnings threshold – employees earning above R269 900.90 per year lose automatic BCEA protections on hours, overtime, and rest periods. Start‑up exemptions – small businesses (<50 employees) get a two‑year exemption from extended bargaining council agreements. Simplified procedural fairness test – hearings must give employees a “fair and reasonable opportunity to respond,” aligning with CCMA ...