Labour Law Amendment Bill, 2025: Proposed Changes to Employment Statutes

Posted 06 March 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Labour

Brought to you by SA Accounting Academy: The Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL) has published the Labour Law Amendment Bill, 2025, which introduces amendments to five primary labour statutes to address shift work, scheduling, and administrative procedures.

The Bill seeks to amend the following legislation:

  • Basic Conditions of Employment Act, No. 75 of 1997 (BCEA);
  • Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (EEA);
  • Labour Relations Act, No. 66 of 1995 (LRA);
  • National Minimum Wage Act, No. 9 of 2018 (NMWA); and
  • Unemployment Insurance Act, No. 63 of 2001 (UIA).

A primary focus of the proposed amendments involves the regulation of work schedules. Under the new provisions, employers will be required to set out in writing the guaranteed hours, maximum hours, availability periods, and reasonable notice periods for reporting for or cancelling shifts. This is intended to provide greater certainty for employees whose work patterns are irregular or shift-based.

Furthermore, the Bill introduces a financial penalty for late cancellations. If an employer cancels a scheduled shift without providing the contractually agreed-upon notice, the employee must be paid for those hours regardless of whether the work was performed.

Click here to download the 120-page Labour Law Amendment Bill, 2025: https://www.labour.gov.za/DocumentCenter/Bills/Labour%20Relations%20Act,%202025_Labour%20Law%20Amendment%20Bill,%202025.pdf

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Ensure your professional advice regarding employment contracts and payroll compliance accounts for the proposed mandatory payments for cancelled shifts and the expanded definition of written employment terms.
  • For your business: Review existing employment contracts and shift-scheduling policies to ensure they can accommodate the requirement to specify ‘availability periods’ and ‘guaranteed hours’ in writing.
  • For your clients: Advise clients on the potential increase in payroll liabilities and the necessity of implementing robust shift-notification systems to avoid mandatory payments for cancelled work.

Originally published at https://accountingacademy.co.za/news/read/doel-labour-law-amendment-bill-2025

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