Solidarity approaches court over red seal crisis hurting artisans’ careers

Solidarity has brought an urgent application in the Labour Court to force the state to end the unacceptable delays in issuing red seal certificates to qualified artisans. See court documents here and here.

The court documents were served on a total of 21 respondents, including the Minister of Higher Education and Training, the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and various relevant sector education and training authorities (SETAs).

According to Stef Pretorius, coordinator of the Solidarity Trades’ Network, hundreds of qualified artisans have been stuck in a dead end for months after successfully completing their trade tests, but are still waiting for the certificates to which they are legally entitled.

“When an artisan passes their trade test, it should mark the beginning of a career. Instead, for these young artisans, it marks the beginning of an endless waiting period. “Without a red seal certificate, people lose job opportunities, promotions and even international career opportunities,” says Pretorius.

Among other things, the court application asks the court to declare that the failure to issue red seal certificates within the prescribed time is unlawful and to order the relevant state institutions to eliminate the existing backlog within specified timeframes.

Solidarity also asks that the relevant institutions, together with other role players, develop a joint action plan to permanently resolve the underlying systemic problems.

Pretorius says it is unacceptable that South Africa, on the one hand, complains about a serious shortage of qualified artisans while, on the other hand, preventing people who have already obtained their qualifications from entering the labour market because of administrative failures.

“The country is constantly talking about the urgent shortage of technical skills, yet at the same time, people who have already proven themselves qualified are being held back by state bureaucracy. “This is, first and foremost, unfair to the individuals concerned, but it is also clearly harmful to the South African economy,” he says.

Pretorius adds that a red seal certificate is much more than a mere document.

“For an artisan, it is the key to employment, better income and further career development. Every day of delay means that people’s futures are unnecessarily put on hold. “We cannot afford to have qualified artisans lose job opportunities or even leave the country simply because the state fails to fulfil its most basic administrative duties,” he explains.

Solidarity says it hopes that the court process will not only bring relief to the members concerned but will also lead to lasting improvements in the certification process so that future artisans do not have to endure the same injustice.