Employment Equity Policy
The objective of the Employment Equity Policy is to promote equal opportunity and fair treatment regarding employment by eliminating unfair discrimination and implementing affirmative action measures to redress the disadvantages in employment experienced by designated groups with a view to ensure that they are equitably represented at all occupational levels in the workforce. The policy also focuses on utilising and managing diversity.
Employment Equity Plan
The
Employment Equity Plan (EEP) of the University was drafted in terms of sections 20(1), 20(2) and 42 of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (the Act) and adopted by SU Management after consultation with relevant stakeholders as described in Section 16 of the Act.
In terms of the Act, every designated employer is required to draft and implement an EE plan that will enable and assist the employer to “achieve reasonable progress towards employment equity", eliminate unfair discrimination and achieve equitable representation of employees from designated groups by means of affirmative action measures. The objective of diversifying staff will not materialise if the University does not recruit, develop and retain talented support staff, academics and researchers from the designated groups.
Code for Employment Equity and Diversity
The
Code for Employment Equity and Diversity is one of the critical tools for overcoming the barriers identified in the EEP, and it will strengthen the process of eliminating barriers to the appointment of employees from designated groups. Implementing EE and complying with the EEA at the University require more specific operational guidelines, which are set out in this Code.
The Code also gives effect to, among other things, section 7 of the University's Disability Access Policy, specifically section 7.5, which states,
“All departments must ensure that their processes, protocol documents and procedures comply with the principles and provisions of the Disability Access Policy, and must strive for disability inclusion in the work that they do."
Objectives of the Code
- Provide guidelines for implementing the University's EE Policy and its EE Plan.
- Eliminate unfair discrimination and advance EE.
- Serves as an instrument for identifying aspects of human resources (HR) policies and procedures that are key to EE and that can advance EE objectives.
- Complement various University policies and procedures that are related to EE.
- Assist SU environments with the practical aspects of advancing EE and reasonable accommodation of people with disabilities.
- Include general and reasonable accommodation practices across all key policies and procedures of the University's HR Division.
- Establish norms and standards for reasonable accommodation measures, assistive technologies and devices for the benefit of people with disabilities.
