On 14 April 2022, the Essential Services Committee
("ESC") designated employers and workers
engaged in the manufacture, supply and distribution of vaccines
and/or biologicals, anaesthetics, antiretrovirals to treat HIV,
immunosuppressants, COVID-19 related products, antibiotics and
chronic medicines, as essential services. This means that,
according to the Labour Relations Act, 1995,
("LRA") workers involved in these
services are prohibited from engaging in strike action. This also
has implications for employers engaged in these services.
Background
In November 2021, the ESC invited interested parties to make
submissions on whether the abovementioned services should be
designated as essential services. Several interested parties made
submissions which, in essence, were the following:
