Attack on labour inspectors

Labour inspectors assaulted in KZN

The Department of Labour has opened criminal cases against two companies following two separate incidents of assault on its inspectors in Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

In the first incident, an official is receiving medical treatment for a cracked rib and cuts on his face after an attack at a Ladysmith printing company where he was conducting an inspection. The employer's sons allegedly swore at him before attacking him.

In another incident a Pietermaritzburg employer is alleged to have verbally abused and physically handled another inspector who had gone there to discuss injury-on-duty compensation. The incident follows media reports about foreign employees who were doused with thinners and set alight by their employer who accused them of stealing diesel and spares.

The inspector is currently receiving medical treatment. The Department of Labour says if found guilty these employers will face the full might of the law.