Legal 2
Trade unions and the duty of care (toward own members)
- Published on 14 May 2013
- Jan Kemp Nel
Recent catastrophic developments - especially on the platinum mines as well as the eruption of long-simmering problems between Cosatu and upstart unions - have resulted in many trade union members taking an introspective approach and demanding that issues related to employment and service conditions be addressed.
Giving unions greater access to organisational rights
- Published on 9 May 2013
- Faan Coetzee and Samantha Kelly
To represent their members and operate effectively, trade unions require certain privileges, which include access to their employer's premises, access to certain information, the ability to collect union dues and appoint shop stewards.
However, given the importance of collective bargaining in the national labour relations framework, the Labour Relations Act, No 66 of 1995 (LRA), has, in certain instances, elevated the above-mentioned privileges to legal rights.
What should you put into your social media policy?
- Published on 23 Apr 2013
- Jan Kemp Nel
At the beginning of last month, Jan Kemp Nel told us what your legal rights are in terms of social media and how the courts deal with cases of “social media misconduct”. This month, he tells us what you need to put into your social media policy.
Beware of changing employment contracts unilaterally
- Published on 12 Apr 2013
- Ivan Israelstam
Many employers commonly (mistakenly) believe that they protect themselves by employing staff without a letter or contract. In fact, the opposite is true.
Knowing the law could make or break employee relations in your company
- Published on 26 Mar 2013
- Ivan Israelstam
When I compare our clients who have poor employee relations with those who have sound employee relations, it is clear that, for the most part, what makes the difference is the quality and breadth of legal knowledge the employer’s line management, external consultants and industrial relations (IR) have.
