bargaining council registration and payment

[murdock]

I would like to know when you have to register with the bargaining council and if in fact i do.

my company is involved with various contract and projects...which include the following:

power quality recordings...load profiling etc.
thermal imaging
consulting
certificate of compliance
and some electrical contracting.

because i do some electrical contracting i was told i had to register with the ECB and when i registered with the ecb they told me i had to register with the bargaining council.

i have scaled down to one labourer to only 1 labourer and myself...less turnover more profit.

my asssitant helps with various tasks like carrying my equipment etc...

and helps with the electrical work when required.

he also the gardener and various other project which have absolutley nothing to do with electrical.

i was told by the bargaining council that i have to register with them and the law has changed in the last year...which says...even if he only works for one day a week in the electrical industry i have to pay the bargaining council for the whole month.

Can somebody please advise me on the correct law with regards to this issue?

[Dave A]

Well, the LRA hasn't changed in the last year. Problem is, once the extension of the collective agreement to include non-parties is approved by DoL, the bargaining council is the law.

[murdock]

i have made a decision...i will get the bargainin council to come to my workshop and if they advise me that i have to register and pay the full amount...they can tell the labourer that he will be retrenched after the meeting...on grounds that there is insufficient work to keep him employed...this is gona be a sad day for this fella...he has been with me for a long time.

2 other companies electrical companies have also just retrenched all their staff...i heard a little while back that one of the big electrical companies retrenched 200 staff...i get people coming to me on a daily basis asking for work.

yet i watch the news last night and the say hiring of staff is on an increase...up by 3 %...mmm...must be the goverment...washing more road signs...surely there must be other ways to create imployment...besides washing signs and security?

i hear australia are looking for people with knowledge about water treatment plant and big ones for municipalities..i have 12 years experience in designing and manufactuering water treatment...just a pity i cant get work in SA because i dont fit the profile...sad

[Dave A]

Or you could form a company and make your gardener/part time assistant a director.

No bargaining council levies and you'll look more attractive to government

[murdock]

i have a cc sitting dormant at the moment...which is fully registered...with bank account...and he is registered with that company as an employee...mmm now you got me thinking...you might have just saved his job and turned him into a director

[Dave A]

Well, for a cc he'd have to be a member - but clearly you've got the idea