Temporary workers can expect treatment equal to that of permanent employees under the ambit of the now-in-force amended labour laws, the Department of Labour (DoL) said on Friday.

The law, which would protect temporary employees against unfair dismissal, held that workers in temporary employment should be treated as permanent employees unless there was “justifiable reason”.

Further, it was now illegal to hire workers in temporary employment for more than three months, said DoL collective bargaining director Ian Macun, pointing out that the amendments were a result of abuse in the labour market.

The amendments held provisions for temporary employees and trade unions to hold to account either the temporary employment services or the client in cases of abuse or contravention of the law.

Protection mechanisms would also be applied to those earning below the Basic Conditions of Employment Act threshold of R205 433.30 a year.

The department, in conjunction with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, initiated joint national educational roadshows in Cape Town on February 16.

Presentations on the new amended labour laws have been conducted in Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Johannesburg and would now head to Durban, Nelspruit, East London, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg, before concluding in Pretoria on March 6.