Hairdressers have been cut off once again, and won’t be able to open during the next level of lockdown restrictions. On Thursday [May 28] the Western Cape High Court dismissed a bid by a group of hair stylist’s who want their services to resume under Levels 4 and 3 of the nationwide lockdown.
The hair stylist’s, represented by Advocate Carlo Viljoen, explained that lockdown has lost them much business and they cannot survive.
Most businesses will be allowed to resume operations under Level 3 on June 1, but personal care services, where social distancing cannot be maintained, won’t be allowed yet. Hairdressers, beauticians and tattoo artists, may not yet return to work and this will have dire consequences on these industries. Current regulations state they may only return to operations in Level 1.
According to IOL, the judge denied their application as it was defective. The application did not cite the Cooperative Governance, Small Business and the Trade and Industry ministers as respondents. The applicants also failed to get support from the Employers’ Organisation for Hairdressing, Cosmetology and Beauty (EOHCB).
The EOHCB did not support the bid for these reasons:
– the application is limited to hairdressers only. Neither supporting staff in salons such as operators, cleaners, front desk co-ordinators etc. nor any employers and employees rendering beauty and skincare services are included
– the EOHCB is of the opinion that more ground may be gained through meaningful negotiations directly with Government, as opposed to become embroiled in a legal battle. All other remedies should be exhausted prior to an application being launched. An application should be a last resort
– the application contains certain statements which, according to the EOHCB, are not factually correct.
“The EOHCB is in the process of preparing further submissions to Government to the benefit of the entire Industry, incorporating the full sphere of personal care services, which will be to the benefit of all employers and with the support of UASA – The Union, for and on behalf of employees in the Industry,” said the EOHCB in a statement.
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