Rustenburg - Labour inspectors do not issue spot fines, the department of labour in the North West said on Monday.
"We wish to inform the public that under no circumstances will the labour inspectors issue on the spot fines for non-compliance," said Andile Makapela, North West chief director provincial operations.
"In terms of non-compliance, the labour inspector guided by the labour laws can only issue the following notices -- 14 days undertaking for non-compliance with the Basic Condition of Employment Act [BCEA] while for non compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act [OHS] an inspector can issue 60 days improvement notice and or 60 days contravention notice; and prohibition notice to stop operations which can be revoked after an institution has fixed the items of concern."
He said an inspector could refer the non-complying instruction to the labour court or the local magistrate court for further adjudication.
"We, therefore, call upon any employer or company that might have come across these individuals to engage the North West provincial chief inspector or the local labour centre in their area for the matter to be investigated further so that the perpetrators can be brought to book."
He was reacting to reports that a vehicle with Gauteng province registration numbers was moving around the province, with its occupants claiming to be labour inspectors.
The alleged bogus inspectors targeted the business community in the province with Klerksdorp being the most targeted area.
They demand money from them alleging it was for non-compliance with labour laws and they issue fines that need to be paid on the spot.