With employers reopening for business after a well-deserved break during the December closure, many employers are faced with employees failing to report for duty. Most employers would agree that there are disruptions in operation due to employees failing to report for duty. The courts have endorsed the concept of corrective or progressive discipline, especially regarding less serious misconduct. In terms of Codes of Good Practice, employers should make the necessary efforts to correct...

It is common to find foreigners employed within a workplace in South Africa, specifically Zimbabwean Nationals.  Business Owners were recently confronted with the impact the Governments’ recent decision to revoke Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP’s) for Zimbabwean Nationals has on their business. ZEP’s, previously known as ZSP (Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permits,) were implemented by Cabinet during 2009 in an attempt to assist and aid Zimbabwean Nationals in their quest to seek...

The South-African Labour law does not deal with the situation where an applicant was offered a specific position or employment opportunity by an Employer of which the offer was accepted, but only to be taken away before the commencement date or undersigning of the official Contract of Employment. Does the offer of employment constitute a legally binding contract, and will this piece of paper be worth its weight in gold if one wishes to take it to the altars of Justice? In short, yes, any type...

Have you ever wondered what your responsibility is as an employer when it comes to pregnant employees?  We all know that section 26(1) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (hereafter referred to as “BCEA”)[1], states that “no employer may require or permit a pregnant employee or an employee who is nursing her child to perform work that is hazardous to her health or the health of her child”. The BCEA does not provide detail as to what would be hazardous to the employees’...

The Difference Between Negligence And Gross Negligence. It is essential to distinguish between negligence and gross negligence. The reason being that negligence will not warrant dismissal for a first offence, whereas gross negligence could warrant dismissal for a first offence. Negligence is seen as the failure to fulfil the standard of care that ought to be exercised by a reasonable person in a particular situation. In labour law, the reasonable person test is used to establish negligence....