Primary briefing · Gazette
high impact 54424 · R. 7318 and R. 7319 · 2026-03-30
Road freight parental leave overhaul and private security levy hikes extended to non-parties
Effective from
13 Apr 2026
Gazette 54424 publishes two ministerial extensions under section 32(2) of the Labour Relations Act. Notice R. 7319 extends the amended Main Collective Agreement of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry to all non-party employers and employees, introducing a consolidated gender-neutral 'parental leave' regime that replaces all prior maternity, paternity, and adoption leave provisions. A single parent or sole employed party is entitled to at least four consecutive months of parental leave; where both parents are employed, the aggregate entitlement is four months and ten days. Employees must give at least one month's written notice before the expected date of birth, adoption, or commissioning. The agreement binds non-parties from 13 April 2026 until 28 February 2027. Notice R. 7318 extends the amended council levies agreement of the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector, increasing monthly employee levies from R7.00 to R9.40 (and from R2.00 to R2.50 for other categories) effective 1 March 2026, with annual CPI-linked increases from 1 March 2027. This levy extension also binds non-parties from 13 April 2026.
Who is affected
Road freight and logistics operators (including owner-drivers and labour brokers in the sector)Private security companies and employers (including cash-in-transit services)Non-party employers and employees in both sectorsHR and employment law practitioners advising these sectorsEmployer associations and trade unions in road freight and private security What this means for practitioners
Road freight employers: update leave policies immediately to replace maternity, paternity, and adoption leave with the new consolidated parental leave entitlement (four months minimum) before 13 April 2026
Road freight employers: adjust payroll and HR systems to accommodate the new leave structure and ensure written notification processes are in place
Private security employers: update payroll to reflect increased council levies of R9.40/month (defined categories) and R2.50/month (other categories) from 1 March 2026, with non-party binding from 13 April 2026
Non-party employers in both sectors: note that these agreements are binding from 13 April 2026 regardless of bargaining council membership
Monitor for annual CPI-linked levy adjustments in private security from 1 March 2027