28 June 2018
ATTENTION: MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION NORTH MEMBERS
BUILDING INDUSTRY COMPANIES
PER: www.mbanorth.co.za
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
RE: ANNUAL SHUTDOWN / BUILDERS BREAK 2018 – NORTHERN PROVINCES
The above-mentioned matter bears reference.
Kindly take note that neither the Gauteng, nor Mpumalanga, Limpopo or North-West provinces have a Bargaining Council in place for the Building Industry, and therefore there is no statutory Builders Holiday.
The decision and announcement of the Builders Break is therefore, at present, decided in terms of an industry understanding as well as a guideline provided by the Master Builders Association North (MBA North) annually. This is however not prescriptive and serves a mere advisory role.
In principal, it is recommended that the entire industry, including contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and alike close down their businesses until the New Year, in order to give their staff leave during this period.
The Minimum entitlement of employees is as follows:
Every employee is entitled, under the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, to at least 21 consecutive days (i.e. 15 working days) leave of absence on full pay in respect of each period of 12 consecutive months of employment.
In addition to the above, the leave must be extended by an extra working day on full pay for each Public Holiday which falls on what otherwise would have been a normal working day during the leave period.
During the December 2018 and January 2019 period, there are four public holidays which fall on normal working days, namely Monday 17 December 2018, Tuesday 25 December 2018, Wednesday 26 December 2018 and Tuesday 1 January 2019.
The MBA North recommended period for the Builders break for 2017 / 2018 will run from the last day of work on Friday 14 December 2018, until Thursday 10 January 2019.
It is advisable that your company has a policy folder in place, dealing with all staff matters to ensure that all staff are informed of internal policies and procedures, as well as have certainty on how to approach these matters.
If you are unsure as to when you should give your staff leave, have any inquiries in respect of your staff’s leave entitlement, or require a policy file, kindly contact Enwee Human at MBA North (enwee@mbanorth.co.za) or 011 805 6611.
Yours sincerely,
Enwee Human
Secretary General
Master Builders Association North
