EMPLOYERS IN A COVERED SECTOR

Bargaining council registration

If you employ people in private security, contract cleaning or building, there is probably a bargaining council whose agreement already binds you, whether or not you ever joined it. The wages, the conditions and the monthly levies apply from the day the agreement was extended to non parties. Most employers find this out when an agent arrives, and by then it is backdated. We identify the right council for your sector and area, register you, and set up the monthly return so it does not slide.

R690our fee · any council registration fee and the monthly levies are paid to the council · lodged within 3 working days of your documents

Section 32binds non parties once the Minister extends the agreement, so joining is not the trigger

Backdatedarrears run from the gazette date, not from the day an agent finds you

7th of the monthwhen the security council’s schedule and payment are due

Why this catches people

A bargaining council is a statutory body set up under section 27 of the Labour Relations Act by the unions and employer organisations in a sector. The part that surprises employers is section 32. A council can ask the Minister to extend its collective agreement to employers who are not parties to it, and once that is gazetted the agreement binds everyone inside the registered scope for that sector and area.

So the question is never whether you joined. It is whether what you do, and where you do it, falls inside a scope someone else negotiated. If it does, the wage rates, the leave and sick pay rules, the provident arrangements and the levies are already yours.

Enforcement is real. Section 33 gives councils designated agents who may enter premises and inspect records. Section 33A lets a council enforce through a compliance order and arbitration, and the arbitrator can order arrear contributions, interest and a fine, enforceable as an order of the Labour Court.

The councils we handle

Sector	Council	What is published
Private security	National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector	Levies from 1 March 2026: R9.40 per employee for Category 1, R2.50 for Category 2. Schedule and payment due by the 7th. Main Collective Agreement runs to February 2027 and is extended to non parties.
Contract cleaning, KwaZulu-Natal	Bargaining Council for the Contract Cleaning Services Industry (KZN)	Registration fee R900. Binding on non parties throughout KwaZulu-Natal. Certificate re-registered annually.
Contract cleaning, rest of the country	Regional Bargaining Council for the Contract Cleaning Sector	Based in Pretoria. Levy amounts are not published publicly.
Building	Six regional councils: Cape of Good Hope, Southern and Eastern Cape, East London, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, and North and West Boland	There is no national building council. The Cape council states it charges no fee to register an employer. None of them publish levy amounts publicly; the figures sit in the wage and benefit schedules.

Which council applies is decided by sector and geography together, and the building industry in particular is regional rather than national. Getting that wrong means registering with a body that has no jurisdiction over you while the one that does carries on accruing arrears.

What actually goes wrong

Assuming it does not apply because you never joinedThis is the single most expensive assumption in the sector. Extension under section 32 does not ask your permission.
Registering with the wrong regional councilBuilding has six, split by area. A contractor working across provincial lines can fall under more than one.
Confusing a trade association with the councilPaying a voluntary association subscription feels like compliance and is not. The statutory obligation sits with the council.
Missing the monthly scheduleThe security council wants the schedule and the money by the seventh. A late or missing schedule is what triggers a visit.
Treating unaffordability as an exemptionThere is a formal exemption process, run independently, that you apply to. Silence is arrears, not exemption.
Categorising security staff wronglyThe security levy splits by whether the person is PSiRA registered and covered by the Main Collective Agreement. Guessing that split gets the return rejected or underpaid.

What you get for R690

The right council identified in writingYour sector and every area you actually operate in, checked against the Department of Employment and Labour's register of bargaining councils, with the answer explained rather than asserted.
Current fees confirmed with the councilWhere a council does not publish its levies, and most do not, we ask them and give you the figure in writing with the date we got it.
The employer registration completed and lodgedThe council's own form, the supporting documents it asks for, and the submission.
Your monthly return set upHow the schedule is compiled, how employees are categorised, what is due and when, and the payment channel.
An exposure noteIf the agreement has bound you for a while already, a plain statement of what the arrears position is likely to be and whether an exemption application is worth making, before the council raises it.
Followed to the certificateChased until the registration is confirmed, then diarised for any annual re-registration.

How it works

1Order and answer the short formWhat your business does, where it operates, how many people you employ and how they are registered.
2We identify the council and confirm the feesIn writing, from the council, within three working days.
3We register you and set up the returnThen hand you the monthly routine so it runs without us.

Not sure whether a council covers you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.

What we will need from you

Your CIPC registration documents and registration number
A description of the work you actually do, in enough detail to test it against the council's scope
Every area you operate in, including sites outside your home province
An employee list with roles, and for security their PSiRA registration and grade
Your PSiRA business registration number if you are in security
Banking details for the levy debit or payment reference

Frequently asked questions

I never joined the council. Why must I register?

Because section 32 of the Labour Relations Act lets the Minister extend a council’s collective agreement to employers who are not parties to it. Once that extension is gazetted, every employer inside the council’s registered scope is bound by the wages, the conditions and the levies, whether they joined, agreed or even knew about it. Membership is not the trigger. Operating in the sector and area is.

What happens if I do not register?

Councils employ designated agents under section 33 who can enter premises and inspect records. Section 33A lets the council enforce the agreement by compliance order and arbitration, and an arbitrator can order arrears, interest and a fine, enforceable as a Labour Court order. The liability runs from the date the agreement was extended, not from the date you were found, so the bill is usually backdated.

What are the security industry levies?

From 1 March 2026 the NBCPSS charges R9.40 per employee per month for Category 1, meaning PSiRA registered and graded officers covered by the Main Collective Agreement, and R2.50 per employee per month for Category 2, meaning people inside the scope who are not PSiRA registered and not covered by that agreement. Schedules and payment are due by the seventh of each month.

What do the cleaning and building councils charge?

The KwaZulu-Natal contract cleaning council publishes a registration fee of R900. Beyond that, neither the cleaning nor the building councils publish their per employee levy amounts on a public page; the figures sit inside the wage and benefit schedules. We get the current amounts in writing from the council for your sector and area rather than quoting a guessed number. The Building Industry Bargaining Council for the Cape states plainly that it charges no fee to register an employer.

Is this the same as NCCA membership?

No, and the difference matters. The National Contract Cleaners Association is a voluntary trade association. Joining is optional, it is sometimes asked for in tenders, and it carries a subscription. A bargaining council is a statutory body and registration is a legal obligation if you fall in its scope. Paying an association subscription does not discharge the council obligation, and some cleaning companies discover that only when an agent arrives.

If I cannot afford the wage rates, is there a way out?

There is an exemption process, not an opt out. Section 32(3)(e) requires every extended collective agreement to provide an independent exemption body. You apply to it with financials and reasons. Simply not registering and not paying is not an exemption, it is arrears.

Do you handle sectors other than these three?

These are the three we cover as a fixed price service because they catch small employers most often. There are many other councils, including metal and engineering, motor, road freight and hairdressing. Ask us and we will tell you honestly whether it is something we can do for this fee.

Employer obligations explained→ PSiRA business registration→ Letter of good standing→ Employer Admin pack→

We identify the council and lodge the registration under your written authority. The council decides registration and sets the levies. Sources: Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 sections 27, 32, 32(3)(e), 33 and 33A; the Department of Employment and Labour register of registered bargaining councils per sector, November 2025; the NBCPSS levy circular effective 1 March 2026 and its Main Collective Agreement for March 2023 to February 2027; published fee pages of the KwaZulu-Natal contract cleaning council and the Building Industry Bargaining Council for the Cape. Where a council does not publish its levies we confirm them with the council in writing rather than estimating. This is information, not legal advice.