Reinstatement is the primary remedy under the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and involves placing an employee back into the position they would have occupied before their dismissal. Is reinstatement the correct remedy when an employee has passed the retirement age? This question was answered in the Labour Court in Samuel v Old Mutual Bank [...]
In the past, once parties reached a deadlock at the CCMA in terms of a section 64 dispute, a certificate to go on strike was issued. Either party to the dispute would have to refer a further dispute to the CCMA for assistance in establishing picketing rules. This has now changed with the new amendments [...]
The term jurisdiction refers to the extent of power which the CCMA; Bargaining Councils; Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court have in order to make legal decisions and judgments. It is imperative that employees become aware of the relevant forums in which they can refer their disputes, in order to ensure that the correct [...]
Suspension in the workplace may be of two kinds, namely; suspension of an employee imposed as a precautionary measure pending disciplinary action or as a form of disciplinary penalty. Section 186(2) of the Labour Relations Act states: “unfair labour practice means any unfair act or omission that arises between an employer and an employee. [...]
22nd June 2018 marked a new era in the South African labour relations industry with the registration of the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (NBCPSS). This came about after months of discussions; negotiations and the formal application being brought to the registrar of labour relations’ attention. This is in terms of Section [...]
In many industries, employers provide assistance to clients in the form of services, and one such an example would be the security industry. Situations, for various reasons, arise where the client informs the employer that a specific employee is no longer permitted on their premises, the employee’s access is therefore denied. Typical examples would [...]
A subpoena is a formal request to produce documents, or a request to appear in legal proceedings. It is an ordered command that essentially requires you to appear at the commission, testify or present evidence that may help support the facts that are in dispute in a pending case. What is the purpose of [...]
What should happen in the circumstances when a chairperson in a disciplinary hearing finds an employee not guilty of serious misconduct, while senior management believes the employee should have been found guilty? Alternatively, the employee is found guilty, but the sanction recommended by the chairperson is short of a dismissal. Is it possible for management [...]
Defined in section 213 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (as amended), it is stipulated that an employee is regarded as any person, excluding an independent contractor, who works for another person or the State and who receives or is entitled to receive any remuneration. Or alternatively, any other person who in any [...]
Organisational rights can best be described as a trade unions’ request made in writing, to represent employees in a workplace on a variety of different rights. Sections 12,13,14,15 and 16 of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, dictate the most commonly sought rights by unions namely; access to the workplace, deduction of union levies, [...]