Corporate Services

Objective

The objective of this policy is:

• To advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and demonstration of the
• workplace by providing a framework through which employees and employers can collectively bargain on matters of mutual interest.
• To ensure the right to fair labour practice.
• To achieve equality in the workplace by promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment through the elimination of unfair discrimination and implementing Affirmative Action measures to redress the disadvantage in employment experienced by designated groups, in order to ensure their equitable representation.
• To develop the skills of the South African workplace and to use the workplace as an active learning environment.

Policy

• The Municipality consists of individuals of different sexes, races and cultural creeds - all that we treat equally.
• The Municipality promotes the sharing of ideas and views in an atmosphere of openness and trust between all individuals.
• We believe in fair and open dialogue, should there be a dispute between an individual and the Municipality.
• The Municipality adheres to all labour legislation of South Africa.

Trade Union Membership

Any employee may voluntarily become a member of a trade union as defined in the Labour Relations Act, 1995.

HIV/AIDS Policy

Objective

The objective of this policy is to describe the Municipality policy and procedures of non-discrimination of employees and prospective employees, training programmes and counseling regarding HIV and AIDS.

Policy

AIDS/HIV And The Employment Contract
The Municipality will not treat employees or prospective employees with AIDS or are HIV positive differently from other employees. If an employee discloses their status to the Municipality, this will be held in the strictest of confidence.

The Municipality will treat employees and prospective employees in a just, humane and life-affirming way, with due consideration to the interests of fellow employees.

The Municipality acknowledges that continued employment, including appropriate promotion and training opportunities, may be therapeutically important for an employee with a life-threatening condition such as AIDS.

Recruitment, Continued Employment And Termination Of Employment

Any medical examination undertaken either before employment or thereafter will be solely to determine functional performance, and offer a prognosis on the fitness for work of the prospective employee. In this respect:

• An HIV test as a pre-condition of employment shall not be required under any circumstances, or for any position;
• If a person makes their HIV/AIDS status known voluntarily, it shall not be a basis for refusing to conclude, to confirm or to review their employment contract;
• Employees with HIV/AIDS shall be governed by the same contractual obligations as all other employees;
• HIV/AIDS shall not be used as a justification for the non-performance of duties agreed to by the Municipality and the employee; and
• No employee shall be dismissed, retrenched, or have their employment terminated merely on the basis of having a life-threatening condition such as HIV/AIDS.

Promotion, Training And Development

HIV/AIDS status shall not be a criterion for refusing to promote, train and develop an employee who would otherwise be considered.

Ill-Health, Leave And Performance

Following a diagnosis of an employee having HIV/AIDS, the employee and the Municipality may agree jointly on a medical examination to determine the employee's ability to continue to perform their duties.

The Municipality undertakes to ensure that people with HIV/AIDS not only retain their employment but that their health be monitored and, when it is determined by medical opinion that an employee with HIV/AIDS can no longer perform their duties, the following steps should be taken:

• The Municipality will, at the earliest opportunity, through consultation with the employee and medical practitioners, endeavour to find a position that is less strenuous which the individual can fulfill. The employee's remuneration and benefits will be adjusted accordingly to that applicable to the new position, without discrimination;
• Termination of employment may be considered, after consultation with the employee, when an employee with an AIDS related condition is too ill to continue employment, or where a position suitable to the reduced state of health of the employee is unavailable;
• If the Municipality terminates the employment of such employee, merely due to the fact that they are no longer able to continue working, such termination shall be governed by the same procedures pertaining to comparable life-threatening conditions and disabilities (e.g. cancer, etc); and
• No employee shall be dismissed solely on the basis of HIV/AIDS, nor shall the HIV/AIDS status influence retrenchment procedures. No flags or symbols will be used on an employee's medical, personal or other records to indicate the HIV/AIDS status.

Benefits

The Municipality will not discriminate against any HIV/AIDS employee with regards to the Municipality benefits that are due to them or that they have accrued. Any employee with a life-threatening disease is provided with group life as opposed to a life policy.

Testing

Pre-employment testing for HIV will not be permitted under any circumstances because it is:

• Discriminatory, in that it stigmatises prospective employees and infringes their human rights by excluding them from productive employment; and
• Inefficient because of the window period in which HIV antibodies cannot be detected.

The Municipality's Social Responsibility

It shall be the Municipality's policy to handle every case on an individual basis by providing support in any area where the Municipality can be of assistance. All information shall be treated with strictest of confidence.

Objective

The objective of this policy is to continuously create an environment that permits equal opportunity for advancement, in order to redress past imbalances and to ameliorate the conditions of individuals and groups who have been previously disadvantaged on the grounds of race, gender and disability.

Policy

The goal of employment equity action in the Municipality is to create an equitable organisation and to build an environment that supports and enables those who have been historically disadvantaged by unfair discrimination to fulfil their maximum potential and to enhance organisational performance. In keeping with its policy of fair and equitable employment practices, Municipality reaffirms its commitment to comply fully with the spirit and requirements of the Employment Equity Act to the strategic advantage of our business.

Municipality will take active steps to:

1. Ensure fair, non-discriminatory practices which respect the rights and dignity of all its employee irrespective of colour, race, gender or disability;
2. Remove any potentially discriminatory practices that may be identified;
3. Ensure that employees at all levels are suitably qualified or have the potential to meet the intrinsic requirements of the job;
4. Ensure that employees are allowed to realise their full potential, within the capacity of the Municipality, and are advanced and rewarded on merit;
5. Transform the demographic profile of the workforce to reflect better the local and national profile.
6. Introduce positive action plans to accelerate the advancement of employees from designated groups.
7. Municipality endeavours to:
   • Develop numeric targets annually for hiring, training, promoting and retaining employees who are the prime beneficiaries for this policy as set out in the Employment Equity Act;
   • Develop and introduce measures that support these employees advancement; and
   • Inculcate a culture that values diversity and supports the affirmation of those who have previously been unfairly disadvantaged within our society and also as a result within the Municipality.

Communication And Consultation

In compliance with the Employment Equity Act, the Municipality will:

• Communicate this policy to all employees;
• Ensure optimum understanding;
• Establish a representative Employment Equity Committee/Project Team to manage and facilitate conducting of audits, and the drawing and implementation of the EE Plan;
• Consult and communicate throughout the process as required by the Act.

Objective

The objective of this policy is to regulate all forms of leave that are accrued and due to employees as a benefit, and to outline procedures to be followed for the granting and taking of such leave. Policy provisions apply to all employees, that is, permanent employees.

Policy

The following leave policy procedures will apply:

All employees are entitled to twenty four (24) working days annual paid leave (excluding weekends), Municipal Manager and Head of Departments are entitled to thirty (30) working annual leave paid leave.

• For the purposes of calculating leave, the statutory paid public holidays will not be regarded as working days
• In the event of an illness or other unforeseeable circumstances, it is the responsibility of the employee to notify their supervisor before 09h00 on the date of absence or, where possible, before then;
• Absence from work without approval and/or without a valid reason shall be regarded as Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL) and therefore a misconduct to be dealt with in terms of the disciplinary procedure
• Leave will be calculated from the date of engagement
• Employees will not accrue full annual leave benefits whilst absent from work on sick leave, maternity leave or paternity leave which extends beyond the normal maximum of such leave, except in the case of extended absence due to injury during the course of their duties
• The Municipality encourages employees to take all leave that is due to them. The Municipality allows employees to carry over a maximum of five (5) days of leave per year. Employees need to be aware that when they leave the Municipality, leave not taken up to a maximum of five (5) days accrued per year will be paid out

Objective

The objective of this policy is to ensure that the candidate who best meets the selection criteria is appointed.

Policy

• Municipality recruitment, selection and retention processes will fundamentally be about matching human capital to the strategic and operational needs of the organisation and ensuring the full-utilisation and continued development of these resources;
• The Municipality aims to attract, obtain and retain people with the required competencies (knowledge, skills and attributes) within the organisation;
• In addition, this policy aims to ensure that a continuous supply of high calibre employees is available to meet the Municipality's immediate and future human resource needs; and
• This policy is also attuned to establishing a positive image of the Municipality and positioning it as the employer of choice within the development sector.
• The Municipality will adhere to the relevant employment laws e.g. Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act, Labour Relations Acts, National Qualifications Framework and the Skill development Act.
• The Municipality will not discriminate on the basis of age, religion, culture, race, gender or sexual orientation.
• The Municipality will at times adopt a professional, non-discriminatory, open and fair approach to recruitment subject to its Employment Equity Obligations and its stated Affirmative Action Policy.
• Municipality will continuously create an environment that permits equal opportunity for all entering the organisation, and for further advancement within the organisation.

Aggressive targets will be set for hiring and retaining those employees that are the prime beneficiaries of this policy. The Municipality will appoint people with potential at all levels, and ensure that there is equal representation of all employees (in terms of race and gender) especially at senior levels within the organisation.

However, affirmative action strategies must be taken into consideration when recruiting candidates. No candidate will be unfairly discriminated against solely through lack of formal qualifications, where the applicant does not meet the basic minimum formal qualification requirement:

• Potential for development, prior learning and previous employment will be considered, subject to the requirements of the Municipality; and
• Development plans will be put in place where 'gaps' have been identified.

The Municipality will ensure that it becomes and remains a competitive and representative organisation. It is also through such mechanisms that the Municipality can be positioned as the employer's choice. The Municipality's targets and progress against achieving these will be measured and communicated to all employees on a regular basis.

Objective

The objective of this policy is to outline policy guidelines for the recruitment and selection of permanent employees.

Policy

Vacancies for permanent employment within the organisation will be filled by the most suitable candidates, with special preference being given to those that were previously disadvantaged.

1.1 Recruitment Sources

• Recruitment activities are dependent on the Municipality's human capital requirements and key organisational competencies;
• The choice of media for recruitment purposes should comply with the requirements of the Labour Relations Act, 1995;
• Internal sources of recruitment must receive priority as it is cost-effective, in accordance with career pathing, and serves as motivation for all employees within the Municipality;
• External recruitment may be undertaken by means of advertisements. Where necessary, Municipality shall use the services of the recruitment agencies who subscribe to Employment Equity principles and reflect this commitment through their practices; and
• External employment advertisements shall be open to all members of the public and a suitable range of the press media will be used in targeting the desired audience. However, Municipality will use media that will best reach the targeted audience.

General Guidelines

• Canvassing by job applicants or any other person on behalf of a job applicant, for the posts within the Municipality is prohibited and evidence thereof will disqualify the applicant for consideration for appointment.
• The purpose of the interview should be made clear to the applicant. The interviewing panel shall be responsible for ensuring that applicants are given the opportunity to ask questions in respect of job requirements, output requirements, support structures, the conditions of employment associated with the job and career prospects which may stem from employment with the Municipality.
• Interviews shall be concluded in an atmosphere that is designed to make the applicant feel at ease and free of any intimidation and patronising attitudes.
• Interview questions shall focus on the requirements of the job and shall not have any element of discrimination as defined by Schedule 7 of the Labour Relations Act. An adequate summary of the interview session should be recorded for all positions.

• On request, internal unsuccessful candidates should be debriefed as to their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the position applied for and be counselled about further career opportunities. Should any member of the interview panel have a personal interest or bias regarding the outcome of any interview session, such member should disclose and later withdraw from participating in that interview session.
• In all stages, timeous and appropriate feedback must be given to all the interested parties.

Recruitment Procedures

Municipality will adhere to the following guidelines and procedures:

1.2 Employment of Family Members, Relatives And Having Intimate Relationships

Objective

The objective of this policy is to outline guidelines regarding the recruitment and selection of family members, relatives and having intimate relations within the Municipality.

Policy

The practice of assigning a position with the responsibility to supervise or evaluate a family member and/or relative or someone with whom there exists an intimate relationship is discouraged. It is the responsibility of all employees to disclose to Human Resources of the existence of any such relationship. When such a situation exist, the family member and/or relative or an employee with whom they have an intimate relationship, may be transferred to another functional area within the organisation.

• Similarly, if an employee later becomes related to another employee or an intimate relationship develops involving a person under their direct supervision, Human Resources should address the situation by means of an internal transfer within the organisation if possible.
• However, each individual case will be examined and treated on its own merit by Human Resources.

Common Business Language of Municipality Policy

Objective

The objective of this policy is to promote a multi-lingual environment because of the nature of the work we do. The Municipality recognises all eleven (11) official languages of South Africa as highlighted by the Constitution. However, we need to be able to interact with a diverse population in a single and consistent medium.

Policy

(1) The common business language of the Municipality is English. This is the language that will govern all official transactions and be the language of record within the Municipality. This by no means relegates any other national official language.

(2) The Municipality will endeavour at all times to communicate with its stakeholders in any or all of the eleven (11) official languages of South Africa. The Municipality has a responsibility to respond to correspondences made in any of the eleven (11) official South African languages, in the language of the initiator of the correspondence. For instance, If an initiator of correspondence writes to the Municipality in isiZulu, the reply to the correspondence needs to be in isiZulu.