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Citation
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Judgment date
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| November 2025 |
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An arbitrator misdirected himself by retaining grossly guilty police officers; dismissal substituted for one respondent, another matter moot due to resignation.
* Labour law – Review of disciplinary sanctions – penalty review – two-stage reasonableness test (error/irregularity then whether decision a reasonable one).
* Police discipline – breakdown of trust/intolerability in continued employment – public confidence and operational requirements of SAPS.
* Sanctions – gross dishonesty and misconduct may justify dismissal; suspension without pay may be a gross irregularity if disproportionate.
* Mootness – resignation may render review in respect of a former employee academic.
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13 November 2025 |
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Whether common purpose can be imputed to strikers and whether an arbitrator’s sanction and reinstatement/back‑pay discretion was reasonable.
* Labour law — review of arbitration award — reasonableness standard; * Strike misconduct — application of common purpose doctrine to strikers present at incidents; * Disciplinary sanctions — cumulative offences and employer’s sanction benchmark; * Remedies — discretion to order retrospective reinstatement and to limit back‑pay; * Procedural — trade union locus standi to cross‑review on behalf of members.
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12 November 2025 |
| October 2025 |
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Commissioner’s failure to swear witnesses and to postpone in absentia breached fairness, warranting review and remittal for a new arbitration.
Labour arbitration — procedural fairness — failure to administer oath or affirmation to witnesses; admissibility of unsworn evidence; audi alteram partem — proceeding in party's absence and denial of opportunity to make closing submissions; review on grounds of gross procedural irregularity; remedy — set aside and remit for de novo arbitration.
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2 October 2025 |
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Reliance on untested hearsay and speculative inferences rendered the dismissal unfair; award reviewed and reinstatement ordered.
Labour law — review of arbitration award — condonation for late filing — admissibility of hearsay — failure to call material witness — circumstantial evidence and drawing inferences — employer’s onus under s.192(2) LRA — gross irregularity — substitution vs remittal — reinstatement and costs.
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2 October 2025 |
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Application to compel consultation dismissed: interest dispute, no s135 certificate, and relief rendered moot.
Labour law – organisational rights and consultation – interest v rights disputes – jurisdictional prerequisite of section 135(5) certificate – mootness of relief after implementation – costs and practitioner conduct (de bonis propriis).
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2 October 2025 |
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Urgent relief for payslips and a suspension notice was inappropriate; BCEA enforcement mechanisms apply and the application was struck off.
* Labour law — BCEA s33 — entitlement to payslips — enforcement via Chapter 10 (labour inspector, compliance orders) rather than urgent High Court/Labour Court proceedings.
* Labour law — BCEA s34 — scope limited to lawful deductions; no obligation to issue particularised notice of unpaid suspension where arbitration award prescribes deduction.
* Urgency — applicant must show absence of alternative timely remedy; existence of statutory enforcement mechanism defeats urgency.
* Mootness and costs — substantial compliance by employer renders urgent relief moot; vexatious persistence can attract costs.
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1 October 2025 |
| September 2025 |
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Delay in advertising and irregular acting do not automatically invalidate a promotion process absent evidence the selection was tainted or would have produced a different result.
Labour law – unfair labour practice (promotion) – fairness of process leading to advertisement, shortlisting and interviews; prolonged acting appointments and compliance with public service regulations; admissibility and weight of evidence not put in cross-examination; onus to prove ‘would have been appointed’; review standard – whether award is one a reasonable arbitrator could reach.
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29 September 2025 |
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Arbitrator erred by requiring proof of physical tampering; co-owner’s dismissal for electricity tampering was substantively fair.
Labour law — Review of arbitration award — Reasonableness standard under s 145 LRA — Arbitrator’s misconception of statutory liability under Electricity Supply By‑Law (s 26) — Owner/occupier/consumer liability for tampering — Where tampering proved, liability may be inferred without proof of physical act — Dismissal for dishonesty and theft-equivalent conduct can be substantively fair.
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16 September 2025 |
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Arbitrator misapplied s26 (electricity by‑law); reinstatement was unreasonable and dismissal was substantively fair.
Labour law — Review of arbitration award — Sidumo reasonableness standard — Arbitrator misconceived legal test under Electricity Supply By‑Law s26 — Liability of consumer/occupier/owner for tampering — Inference of awareness/accomplice liability — Dismissal for dishonesty upheld.
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16 September 2025 |
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Unexplained late filing and willful non-attendance at arbitration justify refusal of condonation and dismissal of review of rescission.
* Labour law – review of CCMA rescission ruling – Sidumo reasonableness standard; * Condonation – requirements and necessity of full explanation; * Rescission under s144 LRA – willful default, reasonable explanation and prospects of success; * Postponement/attendance – no right to postponement; indulgence of commissioner; * Mootness and prejudice where sanction has expired.
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16 September 2025 |
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Recharacterising admitted gross misconduct as mere negligence without basis rendered the commissioner’s award unreasonable; dismissal was fair.
* Labour law – review of arbitration award – Sidumo reasonableness standard applied. * Gross misconduct and gross negligence – admitted admissions cannot be recharacterised without evidentiary basis. * Misuse of employer vehicle and exposing operational equipment – serious breaches justifying dismissal for employees in sensitive positions. * Relief – re‑employment versus reinstatement; inappropriate to leave placement solely to employer when dismissal justified.
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12 September 2025 |
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Provocation did not justify the respondent’s workplace assault; dismissal was substantively fair.
* Labour law — Review of CCMA award — Sidumo reasonableness standard — whether arbitrator misapplied provocation as mitigation.
* Employment discipline — Assault at workplace — proportionality, immediacy and reasonableness of response to provocation.
* Code of Good Practice: Dismissal — gravity of misconduct and duties of security personnel.
* Procedural review — failure to consider material facts may render outcome unreasonable.
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12 September 2025 |
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Restraint enforced to protect applicant’s confidential client information, but overbroad geographic relief was narrowed to identifiable 100 km areas.
Labour law – Restraint of trade – Rule 38 procedure – Existence and breach of restraint – Protectible interest in confidential client lists and fee structures – Reasonableness and proportionality – Geographic scope limited to contractual 100 km radius – Destruction of client contact information – Costs awarded.
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11 September 2025 |
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Non‑renewal of a fixed‑term contract amounted to dismissal where renewal was objectively and subjectively expected; dismissal was unfair.
Labour law — fixed‑term contracts — reasonable expectation of renewal — non‑renewal constitutes dismissal under s186(1)(b)(i) — employer cannot use expiry to avoid disciplinary process — review standard: correctness for dismissal determination; reasonableness for fairness findings.
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9 September 2025 |
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Review refused: commissioner reasonably found permanent demotion disproportionate due to inconsistent prior sanctions; award upheld.
Labour law – review of arbitration award – penalty review – consistency in disciplinary sanctions – reasonableness (Sidumo) – demotion as sanction – employer’s duty to communicate change in disciplinary standards.
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8 September 2025 |
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Unilateral late change to bonus date triggered an unprotected strike; dismissal was procedurally fair but substantively unfair, reinstatement ordered.
Labour law — Unprotected strike — Employer’s unilateral late alteration of bonus payment without consultation; Item 6 Schedule 8 LRA — seriousness, attempts to comply, employer’s conduct — procedural fairness of disciplinary inquiry — reinstatement with limited retrospective backpay.
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5 September 2025 |
| August 2025 |
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Legal advice privilege protects opinions and related council deliberations; inadvertent disclosure did not waive privilege and privileged material was struck out.
Legal advice privilege – communications and deliberations revealing legal opinions obtained in anticipation of litigation; inadvertent disclosure – does not necessarily waive privilege where privilege is promptly asserted; review records – duty to produce complete record does not override legal advice privilege; striking out – privileged material inadmissible and may be struck out; remedial relief – redaction and replacement affidavits, prohibition on publication.
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29 August 2025 |
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Appointment review dismissed due to lack of procedural defect and unreasonable delay; SASSA employees not governed by the Public Service Act.
Labour law – SASSA employees – applicability of Public Service Act – meaning of State in s158(1)(h) LRA – review of appointment – legality – delay in instituting review – procedural fairness – relevant prejudice.
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19 August 2025 |
| July 2025 |
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The Labour Court upheld the dismissal of a maritime manager for misconduct and regulatory breaches.
Labour Law – dismissal – procedural fairness – substantive fairness – gross dishonesty – breach of financial regulations – Public Finance Management Act.
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31 July 2025 |
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A department's review of an arbitrator's order setting aside a principal’s appointment and granting retrospective promotion was dismissed.
Labour law – Unfair labour practice – Promotion – Jurisdiction of bargaining council (ELRC) to arbitrate promotion disputes – Review of arbitration award – Powers of arbitrator to set aside appointment and order retrospective promotion – Failure by employer to provide reasons for departure from School Governing Body's recommendation – Prima facie case of procedural and substantive unfairness.
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23 July 2025 |
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The court upheld an arbitrator's finding of unfair dismissal, dismissing claims of procedural irregularity and failure to act inquisitorially.
Labour law – review of CCMA arbitration award – arbitrator’s duty to act inquisitorially – fairness and reasonableness of award – duty to infer evidence – unsubstantiated charges – gross irregularity – test for review – whether outcome was one a reasonable decision maker could reach.
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22 July 2025 |
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Condonation granted for late filing based on reasonable explanation and prospects of success in an unfair dismissal case.
Labour law – condonation – late filing – interests of justice – prospects of success in unfair dismissal dispute.
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22 July 2025 |
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Dismissal was not automatically unfair, as it was in line with an agreed contractual retirement date.
Labour Law – Dismissal – Automatically unfair dismissal – Age Discrimination – Retirement age agreement versus policy change.
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22 July 2025 |
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Unprotected strike declared, and political party found to exceed advisory role, partially liable for costs.
Labour Law – Unprotected Strike – Role of Political Party in Labour Disputes – Representation vs. Advisory Role
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16 July 2025 |
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Dismissal for operational requirements was found substantively unfair where the purported financial crisis was employer-engineered by business transfer.
Labour law – dismissal for operational requirements – substantive fairness – assessment of employer's genuine business rationale versus manufactured financial crisis – jurisdiction of Labour Court on procedural fairness post-Regenesys – selection criteria and alternatives to retrenchment – reinstatement as remedy.
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10 July 2025 |
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Review dismissed: SAPS promotion decision upheld, justified under employment equity guidelines; arbitration award found reasonable.
Labour Law – Unfair labour practice – Promotion – Employment Equity considerations – Review of arbitration award – Reasonableness standard in review applications.
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9 July 2025 |
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Court reinstates lapsed review application due to reasonable delay explanation and significant prospects of success.
Labour Law – Application for reinstatement of a lapsed review – Reasonable explanation for delay, reasonable prospects of success, and potential prejudice considered.
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4 July 2025 |
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Case not settled; delayed due to applicants' conduct, resulting in re-archiving and cost implications.
Labour law – Archiving of cases – Practice Manual compliance – Settlement of disputes – Delays in litigation.
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3 July 2025 |
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The court upheld a CCMA award validating the fairness of a dismissal following safety instruction noncompliance.
Labour Law – CCMA Arbitration – Reasonableness of decision – Safety Audit Instructions – Procedural fairness in disciplinary hearings.
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3 July 2025 |
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A disciplinary sanction cannot be set aside on review merely for being considered too lenient, irrational or unreasonable by the employer.
Labour law – review application by state employer – section 158(1)(h) LRA – reasonableness of delay in instituting proceedings – grounds for review – mere disagreement with facts or labelling a decision 'irrational' or 'unreasonable' insufficient – proper legal basis for review required.
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3 July 2025 |
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An urgent application to interdict a municipal workers' strike was dismissed due to lack of urgency and procedural non-compliance.
Labour Law – Strike Action – Interdictory Relief – Urgency and Compliance with Section 68 (3) of the LRA – Unprotected Strike – Substantial Redress
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2 July 2025 |
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Urgent application to halt demotion dismissed for lack of demonstrated urgency and available alternative reliefs.
Labour Law – Urgent applications – Requirements for urgency – Protected disclosures and unfair labour practices – Court jurisdiction over internal processes.
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1 July 2025 |
| June 2025 |
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Employee's dismissal for dishonest shift swaps upheld; delay in review record filing condoned.
Labour law – Misconduct dismissal – Dishonesty in shift swaps – Procedural fairness in disciplinary action.
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17 June 2025 |
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Condonation refused for late review application of arbitration award due to insufficient explanation and weak prospects of success.
Labour Law - Condonation for late filing - requirements for condonation - interests of justice - review of arbitration award
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6 June 2025 |
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The court upheld the arbitrator's decision replacing a dismissal with a warning, finding it not unreasonable.
Labour Law – Dismissal – Procedural fairness – Misconduct – Breach of company policy – Review of arbitration award.
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5 June 2025 |
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Court addressed whether the OSD agreement applied to post-inception appointees in a collective bargaining context.
Labour law – application of collective agreement – Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) – interpretation and application for post-inception appointees
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5 June 2025 |
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The court lacks jurisdiction in unfair dismissal cases not subjected to conciliation.
Labour Law - Jurisdiction - automatically unfair dismissal - referral for conciliation - Protected Disclosures Act.
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5 June 2025 |
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Deemed dismissal invalid due to prior suspension; appellant remains employed with capped compensation awarded.
Employment Law – Public Service Act – Deemed Dismissal – Employer Knowledge – Suspension vs. Dismissal
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4 June 2025 |
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The Labour Court dismissed a review application contesting a CCMA award variation due to salary dispute.
Labour Law - unfair dismissal - variation of arbitration award - salary dispute - CCMA guidelines adherence
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3 June 2025 |
| May 2025 |
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The Labour Court ruled the dismissal for negligence unfair due to misapplied progressive discipline and delayed disciplinary action.
Labour law - Arbitrary dismissal for negligence - Review of arbitral award - Fairness of disciplinary delay - Application of progressive discipline.
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30 May 2025 |
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Court reviews arbitration award, finds dismissal substantively fair but procedurally unfair due to denied witness questioning.
Labour Law – Review of arbitration award – Substantive versus procedural fairness in dismissal – Rights to cross-examination in disciplinary proceedings.
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29 May 2025 |
| April 2023 |
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Liquidation trumps unauthorised business rescue appeals: director becomes functus officio and unprosecuted leave applications do not suspend winding‑up.
* Company law – business rescue (s 131 & s 132 Companies Act) – requirements to trigger suspension of liquidation; service on affected persons and expeditious conduct of business rescue proceedings. * Company law – liquidation – director becomes functus officio on winding‑up; only liquidator may prosecute or withdraw company litigation. * Civil procedure – Superior Courts Act s 18(1)/(3) – declaration that an order is not suspended pending leave to appeal; exceptional circumstances and irreparable harm. * Abuse of process – unprosecuted/unauthorised appeals used to delay liquidation and prejudice creditors.
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5 April 2023 |
| March 2022 |
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Reported
Post‑dismissal psychiatric evidence can render misconduct dismissal substantively unfair, though the initial hearing may still be procedurally fair.
* Labour law – dismissal for misconduct – procedural fairness – adequacy of medical certificate and duty to postpone disciplinary hearing.
* Labour law – substantive fairness – incapacity/mental illness – reliance on post‑dismissal expert evidence at arbitration (Strydom v Witzenberg Municipality).
* Remedy – reinstatement and limited backpay where later medical evidence demonstrates non‑culpable conduct.
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3 March 2022 |
| September 2021 |
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Reported
Ambiguous award wording on reinstatement and backpay must be varied to reflect intended six‑month retrospective reinstatement.
Labour law – Arbitration awards – Variation under s144(b) LRA – Ambiguity and correction of awards – Reinstatement and backpay – Retrospectivity of reinstatement linked to backpay; commissioner’s duty to give effect to true intention of award.
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10 September 2021 |
| August 2021 |
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Failure to file the complete Rule 7A record within prescribed time led to review being deemed withdrawn and dismissed for lack of prosecution.
Labour procedure — Practice Manual clauses 11.2.2 & 11.2.3 — Requirement to file complete Rule 7A record within prescribed time or seek extension — Review deemed withdrawn if not complied with — Rule 11 dismissal for lack of prosecution — Expeditious dispute resolution — Authority: Macsteel; Mthembu.
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30 August 2021 |
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Reported
Failure to admit dishonesty may legitimately justify harsher sanction; dismissal for proven dishonesty held substantively fair.
Labour law – Misconduct and sanctions – Dishonesty – Relevance of admission of guilt and remorse as legitimate distinguishing factors when assessing consistency of sanctions – Review where arbitrator fails to give weight to material distinctions between cases.
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13 August 2021 |
| June 2021 |
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Provocation did not justify a senior employee's assault; dismissal for assault and threats was substantively fair.
* Labour law – review of arbitration award – assessment of credibility and correct construction of evidence; * Misconduct – assault by senior employee on subordinate – provocation considered but found not to justify or mitigate assault (test: reasonable person, immediacy, proportionality); * Evidence – corroboration of continued threats by HR witness; * Sanction – dismissal for assault and threats found substantively fair; * Review remedy – award set aside and substituted.
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24 June 2021 |
| May 2021 |
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Reported
Section 18(3) relief requires a valid notice of appeal; without it the judgment remains enforceable and s 18 cannot assist.
Superior Courts Act s 18(1),(3),(4) – suspension of judgment pending appeal – prerequisite that notice of appeal be lodged in terms of the rules – pending condonation does not create a valid appeal; restraint of trade – enforcement pending appeal; urgency and assessment of irreparable harm — obiter observations.
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17 May 2021 |
| September 2020 |
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An arbitrator’s reinstatement award set aside where employer’s safety interests and s193(2)(b) intolerability were insufficiently considered.
Labour law — Review of arbitration award — Sanction and remedy — Arbitrator’s assessment of reinstatement — necessity to consider s 193(2)(b) (continued employment intolerable) — bundles handed up in arbitration are not evidence per se — substitution of remedy where arbitrator failed to balance competing interests.
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4 September 2020 |
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Reported
An earlier refusal to condone delay in prosecuting a referral bars a later retrieval application by res judicata.
* Civil procedure – Res judicata – prior refusal of condonation precluding subsequent retrieval application
* Labour Court practice – Retrieval of archived referral – inseparable from application for condonation under practice manual
* Evidence – Introduction of fresh evidence after final judgment ordinarily limited to appeals
* Procedural law – Finality of judgments and prohibition on re-litigation of same cause of action
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4 September 2020 |
