Labour Department urges people to register domestic workers before penalties hit

The Department of Employment and Labour is cracking down on people/employers who employ domestic workers without registration, restricting the employees' access to Unemployment Insurance and Workmen’s Compensation Funds (UIF Act and COIDA).

By law, a domestic worker is considered a 'permanent employee' if they work 24 hours or more per month.

According to the law, 'domestic employees' refer to:

cleaners
gardeners
drivers
nannies
au pairs
caregivers looking after the sick, elderly, or people living with disabilities

You can register your employee through one of the following methods:

Telephonically at 012 337 1680
E-mail at domestics@uif.gov.za
Mail to: The UIF, Pretoria, 0052
Visit your nearest Labour Centre

Information on how to register with the UIF is available on the Department of Labour website.

Once you have a UIF reference number, you can register on the ufiling website to do transactions and updates online.

Or you can contact the South African United Employers Organisation (SAUEO) who will help you become and remain compliant with the Department of Employment and Labour.

SAUEO also has specialists to assist you with the admin around registration, for just R70 per month.

Cilliers notes that if you split a domestic worker's service with someone else once or twice a week, both people using the domestic worker's services should register the same domestic worker with the Unemployment Insurance and Workmen’s Compensation Funds (UIF Act and COIDA).

If an employer doesn't contribute or follow the registration process, the Department of Employment and Labour will hold you accountable with penalty payments and interest payments.

Cilliers says this is one way the law is helping domestic workers in South Africa to make sure they are taken care of and truly recognised in the workforce through compensation.