Reply To: ARE TRAINEES EMPLOYEES FOR THE PURPOSES OF LABOUR LAW?

[Anna Peal]

It is widely argued that trainees are not employees, but this is a contentious issue. It is argued it is argued that trainees should not have the protection of the labour law dispensation because they are linked to the business or organisation via their need to develop skills and not for purposes of doing work. While this is a rational argument the statutes themselves indicate differently. For example, included in the definition of ‘employee’ in the LRA is the phrase: “any other person who in any manner assists in carrying on or conducting the business of an employer.” This definition includes all trainees who provide work for the business. And section 198(4)(c) of the LRA says that a student or recent graduate who is employed for the purpose of being trained or gaining experience may be employed on the basis of a fixed term contract for longer than 3 months. This clearly implies that the trainee is an employee whose rights are provided for by the LRA. As a result, any employer wishing to argue that a trainee is not an