The arbitration award [4] On 10 July 2009, the applicant‟s claim was dismissed by the third respondent ('the arbitrator'). section 186(2) rests on the applicant. According to the Act, every employee has the right not to be subjected to such practice. Salary differences may always provoke dissatisfaction, but provided that employers are able to rationally justify why one person is better paid than another, on the basis of the factors which are fair in terms of the Code of Good Practice, the discrimination is not unfair. Call us at 011 234 2125 for labour law assistance. The employer is not committing a single and separate unfair labour practice each and every time an employee is either overpaid or underpaid but these payments are merely facts by way of which the existence of such continuous unfair discriminatory practice is indicated.” The payment must be done in South African rand. Bonus as a Benefit . Alleging unfair labour practice . The reason is that non-payment of salary is referred to the Department of Labour. Anyone who engages in conduct prohibited by the Code is said to have committed an unfair labour practice. Unexpected Addition to the Food Industry Menu. Hyderabad: Nurses of the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday staged a protest over unfair labour practices by authorities.Alleging harassment and non-payment … was an unfair labour practice. They went on to say that the term benefit should be interpreted to include a right or entitlement to which the employee is entitled, as well as an advantage or privilege which has been offered or granted to an employee in terms of a policy or practice (subject to the employer’s discretion). Does non-payment of salary increase constitute Unfair Labour Practice? Unfair labour practice is when the employer treats a job applicant or existing worker unfairly according to the practices defined in the Labour Relations Act of South Africa. var google_remarketing_only = true; The general rule is that all employees should be paid minimum wage and overtime compensation. Employees can also claim an unpaid salary via the Small Claims Court provided the outstanding salary does not exceed R15 000. Labour law protects workers against exploitation by employers and non-payment of wages. The non-payment of wages in the circumstances repudiated the contract of employment. on Can a Wage Dispute be referred to the CCMA as an Unfair Labour Practice? In the matter of Solidarity obo Oelofse v Armscor (SOC) Ltd and Others (21 February 2018), the Labour Court (LC) was tasked with reviewing a decision that the non-payment of a performance bonus was not an unfair labour practice, even though the employee exceeded the qualifying rating. There is no law that requires fair pay -- but there are some things you can try to get a raise. If you believe your employer discriminated against you or you have otherwise been subjected to unlawful practices at work, call (513) 665-9500 for a free case review. Salary differences may always provoke dissatisfaction, but provided that employers are able to rationally justify why one person is better paid than another, on the basis of the factors which are fair in terms of the Code of Good Practice, the discrimination is not unfair. Dismissing an employee without conducting a disciplinary hearing, Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd v Nombulelo Chiloane (case no. Vacation time and pay Most employees earn at least two weeks of vacation after every 12 months. In particular, it was recorded as follows: In Gayland v Telkom SA Ltd (1998) 19 ILJ 1624 LC (at22): “If the term ‘benefit’ is so generously interpreted so as to include any advantage or right in terms of the employment contract, even wages, item 2 (1) (b) would all but preclude strikes and lock-outs. If your back pay is $2,000, your liquidated damages will be $2,000. Labour law does not place a statutory requirement on employers to pay bonuses of any sort, therefore, any payment of bonuses are also not regulated by labour legislation, but rather by contract, policy, or the establishment of practice. The fundamental question which must be answered is “what constitutes a ‘benefit’ as contemplated in S186(2)(a) of the LRA? Whose dispute is it anyway? Prohibition of unfair labor practice According to [section 25T] No employer or workman or a trade union, whether registered under the Trade Unions Act, 1926 (16 of 1926), or not, shall commit any unfair labor practice. E-mail: enquiries@allardyce.co.za / kevin@allardyce.co.za the onus to establish existence of a decision that constitutes an unfair labour practice as provided in . In considering whether the non-payment of the salary increase constituted an unfair labour practice, the court held that payment of the salary increase had to be a ‘benefit’ for the purposes of s 186 (2) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA). The Secretary of Labor may obtain an injunction to restrain any person from violating the FLSA, including the unlawful withholding of proper minimum wage and overtime pay. He ordered the company to pay each of them compensation equivalent to … In particular, it was recorded as follows: It is unfair treatment by an employer of an employee or job applicant. Equity Regulations, 2014 came into effect and subsequently, the Minister of Labour, Mildred Nelisiwe Oliphant, published the Draft Code of Good Practice on Equal Pay for … However, as a general rule, all money related matters such as unpaid salary, overtime pay, leave pay, etc. The NLRA prohibits the following: Unions cannot coerce workers into joining the union or staying in it. Employees may also choose to identify the underpayment or non-payment of their salary as an unfair labour practice relating to the provision of a benefit and refer a dispute to the CCMA in this regard. REMEDIES FOR UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICE FINDINGS Compensation and other remedies for an employer’s unfair actions Dawn Norton Standard remedies set out in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (the LRA) upon a finding that an employer has committed an unfair labour practice (“ULP”) includes reinstatement, re-employment or compensation. All forms of pay are covered by the law, including salary, overtime pay, bonuses, stock options, profit sharing and bonus plans, life insurance, vacation and holiday pay, cleaning or gasoline allowances, hotel accommodations, reimbursement for travel expenses, and benefits. Ultimately, and on 10 April 2015, pursuant to this grievance, the first respondent gave written reasons for refusing to pay her performance bonus. Oelofse also lodged an internal grievancein this respect. The fact that the remedy sought was an increase in salary does not change the character of the dispute. In another case, concerning the non-payment of a merit award by the employer to the employee, it was held that a merit award was something apart from remuneration, and therefore should fall with in the definition of "benefits" as contemplated in section 186 - unfair Labour practice. Penalties for Not Paying Employees There have been divergent views as to whether a former employee can refer a dispute, other than an unfair dismissal dispute, against their erstwhile employer. an alleged unfair labour practice arising out of the non-appointment of Mahlase, obviously there are hurdles. If, for example, the employer provides transport at night for employees working at his lodge to their homes, but two of the employees staying in the same area are not allowed to make use of the transport at night, then the employer discriminates. Oelofse also lodged an internal grievancein this respect. In the case of SAPU obo Louw vs SAPS (2005, 1 BALR 22) the arbitrator found that failure to pay the employee a merit award did fall within the definition of an unfair practice. The complainant was entitled to consider herself to have been dismissed. 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