Labour brokers are ‘human traffickers’

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Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven. Photo: Nonhlanhla Kambule

Labour brokers are “human traffickers” who are making huge profits by hiring out workers as though they are commodities, Cosatu said on Tuesday.

Spokesman Patrick Craven said in the federation's Workers' Day statement that labour brokers were exploiting workers as businesses raked in “more profits than ever”.

“Cosatu demands that labour brokers must be completely banned,” Craven said.

“They are nothing more than human traffickers, making huge profits by hiring out workers to their client companies as if we are no more than commodities like office furniture or stationery.”

Craven said more than 30 percent of the work force had been “casualised”.

He said the government and the ruling African National Congress still insisted that there should be a role for the labour brokers for the six months of employment but for the Congress of SA Trade Unions “this was six months too long”.

Some gains had been made in the talks with the ANC. These included equal pay for work of equal value and workers being made permanent after six months. - Sapa