26/05/2026
On 27 February 2026, the Minister of Employment and Labour published the Labour Law Amendment Bill 2025 and the Labour Relations Amendment Bill 2025 for public comment. These represent the most significant overhaul of South African labour legislation in years.
Key proposed changes include:
* New strict rules regulating on-call, zero-hours, and unpredictable work schedules for employers with more than 10 employees
* A complete redesign of parental leave to make it more inclusive and gender-neutral (4 months for single parents / 4 months + 10 days shared)
* Doubling of statutory severance pay for operational requirement dismissals (from 1 to 2 weeks per year of service)
* A broader definition of “employee” is impacting sectoral determinations and protections for atypical workers
* Significant reforms to unfair dismissal remedies, retrenchment procedures, dispute resolution, and collective bargaining
If passed in their current form, these amendments will materially increase employer obligations, reduce workplace flexibility in certain areas, and reshape how employment disputes are handled.
Public comments are open for 30 days.
As employment lawyers, we are closely monitoring these developments and assisting clients with impact assessments and compliance planning.
How might these proposed amendments affect your business operations, workforce planning, or existing policies?
Drop your questions or thoughts below.
