types of grievances in the workplace in south africa

Ombudsman services are offered free of charge. Escalate the issue to the HR department if the above fails. So, your attempts to resolve your grievance informally have failed and you have raised a formal grievance by sending a formal letter outlining your complaint (see our article on how to write a grievance and examples).. Na imina Workplace South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, and the occurrence of discrimination in the workplace remains considerably high, emphasising that the enactment of legislation and policies alone is not enough to prevent and eliminate discrimination in practice. Wage Grievance- failure to pay agreed rating including: starting pay automatic increase merit increase improper classification of job employee wrongly classified shift premium vacation pay or bonus call-in pay improver incentive or piece rate. A grievance must be lodged in writing with an employee designated to facilitate the grievance resolution in the department within 90 days from the date in which the employee became aware of the official act or omission which adversely affected him/her. The objectives of the grievance procedure may be summed up as follows: Written by Magate Phala, who specialises in Labour Law and writes in his private capacity. Time limits should be established for each of the steps within the procedure. separate emails by commas, maximum limit of 4 addresses, Effective Management of Grievances in the Workplace, ARTICLE ENQUIRY      For a real grievance to have occurred there must have been a violation of an employee's rights on the job. These include grievances relating to unfair treatment: 1 The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. Effective Management of Grievances in the Workplace. Although these female activists were rarely at the head of the main organisations, at least at the beginning of the movement, they were prime actors. Informal DC Hearing: This is an informal meeting between the … The grievance procedure is also intended to empower employees with the opportunity and procedure to be able to raise issues of dissatisfaction with the employer. Most grievances are not dealt with properly, mainly because managers are not aware of the basic principles of dealing with grievances. Customers may also raise grievances if they experience poor service from employees. 1.2.A grievance is any feeling of dissatisfaction or perceived […] Special personal information includes e.g. Advertising on Polity.org.za is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. 3. A grievance of right occurs when an employee claims that the employer has not given him what he is entitled to (by legislation, collective agreements, conditions of service, employment contract, established practice, etc.) Where necessary provisions should also be made specifically for the processing of special personal information. SAVE THIS ARTICLE It also applies regardless of the stated governing law of any employment contract or the nationalities of either the employee or the employer. These documents are supported by templates to assist with the practical management of all HR and labour law related topics. 1. It is crucial for employers to understand the meaning and interpretation of consent within the context of POPI. consistency, transparency and fairness in the handling of workplace problems and complaints. The employee should be allowed representation by a colleague or union representative. In many cases, it may be necessary to intercept an employee’s electronic communications on his/her work email or to consider documents saved to his/her work computer. Various rights and obligations are established between the employer and employee when entering into a contract of employment. Management at various levels must consider the grievance carefully and make genuine attempts to resolve the grievance. not in accordance with established rules; where people are treated irrationally – i.e. The GDPR has established a three-pronged test in interpreting “legitimate interest” which considers purpose, necessity, and balance. Workplace forums are committees of employees elected by employees in a workplace. Shared below are 5 of the most common employee grievances that might be getting viral in your department. I know that I am entitled to a hearing to discuss this matter and also bring a work colleague or a trade union representative. Reciprocity. Government and Nehawu agree more talks are needed to address workers' grievances. The forums do not replace collective bargaining, but deal with matters which are better suited to resolution through consultation rather than through collective bargaining. 1. The employee should be allowed representation by a colleague or union representative. Government and Nehawu agree more talks are needed to address workers' grievances. Grievances may be categorised in two forms, i.e. An employer should ensure that it short-lists as many suitably qualified applicants from designated groups as possible. Securing an employee’s consent is one of the basis on which an employer can lawfully process both general and special personal information of its employees. The Protection of, POPI distinguishes between the collection, storage and processing of personal information and special person information. What is a grievance meeting or hearing? The basic rights of the employee will be those agreed upon as per the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. Let me know your proceedings with the investigation and hope that you will arrange to hold a grievance hearing within 30 days. Or entrenched inequalities and patterns of discrimination persist in South Africa, including in the workplace. 108 of 1996) and section 35 (1), (2) and (3) of the Public Service Act, 1994 (as amended) drafted Rules for dealing with grievances of Senior Management Service (SMS) members in the Public Service set out hereunder. A grievance of interest occurs when an employee has no entitlement to a particular claim in law against the employer but feels that he is entitled to it or has been unfairly treated. Such a letter may cover different types of situations, and it would depend on the environment where you wrote it. Written consent is not expressly required. One of the earliest organisations was The Bantu Women's League founded in 1913. When an individual’s The common law does not indicate minimum wages; these are usually set by collective-bargaining councils and are industry specific. In accordance with article 09 of the South African Constitution, all persons are equal before law and there can't be any discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth. Although the Labour Relations Act contains no definition of the word “unfair”, Professor John Grogan in his book entitled “Employment Rights” second edition (Juta, 2014) at pages 114-115, adequately summed up the hallmarks of “Unfair Conduct” as follows: The purpose of a grievance procedure is aimed at promoting sound labour relations in the workplace, i.e. The kinds of grievances that may occur under the contract are: a. Ask employees round the globe about their foremost concern in the workplace and clarity in communication will … a grievance of right and a grievance interest. Employers have the common law duty to provide a safe and healthy workplace. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. an employee’s race or ethnic origin, health or sex life, religious or philosophical beliefs and trade union membership. Not only is this unprofessional, but it could cause grievances to escalate when employees feel they do not have a voice. Grievances may be categorised in two forms, i.e. I will be eagerly waiting to hear from you. Hunger Strike: Strike in which the employees go on fasting, near the workplace or at the residence of the employer, to force him/her redress their grievances is called hunger strike. For more information, kindly contact Magate Phala at emailProtector.addCloakedMailto("ep_0fbb394c", 1); POPI and consent - don’t get caught in your own net, By Gillian Lumb, Director, Kara Meiring, Candidate Attorney, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. This a sample of a Grievance Policy and Procedure. One cornerstone of this success was how the ANC/SACP/COSATU alliance effectively used the workplace in its struggle for political freedom and labour democracy. WHERE DO GRIEVANCES COME FROM? Read our step-by-step guide to mediation and conflict resolution in the workplace below. South African women participated in the anti-apartheid and liberation movements that took hold of South Africa. a grievance of right and a grievance interest. A grievance must be lodged in writing with an employee designated to facilitate the grievance resolution in the department within 90 days from the date in which the employee became aware of the official act or omission which adversely affected him/her. See also a Court decision in Mackay v ABSA and another (2000) 21 ILJ 2054 (LC). 1.2.A grievance is any feeling of dissatisfaction or perceived […] The aggrieved employee must be duly informed by the designated employee about the status and progress made towards the resolution of the grievance. To ensure that complaints are effectively dealt with by management. The grievance will not be resolved until the employee indicates such. Note: Search is limited to the most recent 250 articles. In the absence thereof, the employer will need to prepare and secure a further consent from the employee. They meet employers on a regular basis for consultation on workplace issues. a grievance of, Although the Labour Relations Act contains no definition of the word “unfair”, Professor John Grogan in his book entitled “, 2020 has given rise to many challenges for employers. Special personal information includes e.g. 14 of 2002 which provides as follows: A grievance process should not be used as a parallel mechanism to appeal or review complaints or feeling of injustices which arise out of a disciplinary process. A library of all the free documentation available on our website, to assist the HR professional, managers and unions with practical guidance on various labour and employment law topics, such as disciplinary hearings, arbitrations in the CCMA, retrenchments, employment equity and other relevant topics. In all likelihood it will have regard to the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) which requires that the consent is unambiguous and must be given by a clear affirmative act. not in accordance with established rules; where people are treated irrationally – i.e. 7.3.17. Management at various levels must consider the grievance carefully and make genuine attempts to resolve the grievance. Effective Management of Grievances in the Workplace. The interi… The designated employee must liaise with the relevant structures of authority of the department which has the requisite authority to resolve the grievance. Grievances should generally be managed by line Management, however, other staff, for example, the Human Resources Manager, may act in an advisory capacity. To create awareness of employee problems or problem areas, which management needs to address. aggrieved in the workplace may have a negative impact on their performance. Therefore, the legislation also covers employees who work partly outside South Africa and partly inside South Africa and outside the country. Most importantly, this type of procedure aims to avoid the time it takes to defend such cases in forums such as the CCMA and bargaining councils. A grievance may be defined as any feeling of discontent, unfairness or injustice which an employee may have in respect of his work conditions, against his manager or supervisor, including a fellow worker and which is brought to the attention of Management. An information sheet detailing a typical form used when an employee has lodged a grievance and such is investigated and an outcome handed down to ensure fair labour practices within the workplace. Types of Grievances ns:G:\Education\grievancetypes.doc Page 1 of 1 A steward can classify grievances according to where they come from and how they arise. President Cyril Ramaphosa. Employers have a grace period of one year as of 1 July 2020 within which to ensure their compliance with POPI. Employers will need to determine on a case by case basis whether the processing which they wish to conduct falls within the scope of the consent which they may have secured from an employee in his or her contract of employment or whether they will need to rely on one of the other basis set out in POPI. While the term “legitimate interest” is not defined in POPI, it is likely that the Information Regulator will seek guidance from the GDPR in this regard. on the basis of unproven or untested views and suppositions; where people are penalised or denied an advantage without being able to state their case. An overview of dealing with grievances in the workplace. Specific forms of misconduct would thus be dependent on the type of industry the company is operating in, its culture and specific workplace rules and regulations. Of work the applicant may be categorised in two forms, i.e prospective.... 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