Tag: disciplinary hearing
Lack of disciplinary expertise can prove costly
The cost to the employer can include hearings at CCMA, Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court as well as back pay.
Don’t miss your disciplinary hearing
Employers are not entitled to dismiss the employee without a hearing.
No enquiry before being fired – no problem!
Labour relations and the fairness standards for dismissal of an employee in South Africa have long been centred around the formality of disciplinary or incapacity enquiry processes, and the tradition of the usage of these processes has built up an expectation that they are mandatory.
You can’t just resign to avoid disciplinary hearing
A common occurrence in the employment relationship is for an employee to resign in the face of disciplinary action by an employer, and South African courts have previously accepted that as long as an employee resigns with immediate effect, the employer has no power to compel the former employer to go through any disciplinary process.
Witnesses are key at hearings
Regardless of whether one is faced with a court hearing, a disciplinary hearing or an arbitration hearing it is always very difficult, and often impossible to win without witnesses.
The legal effect of resigning after disciplinary action but before sanction
The Labour Court in a recent judgment, Mthobisi Mthimkhulu v Standard Bank of South Africa (J928/20) (18 September 2020) considered whether an employee who has been found guilty of serious misconduct can avoid the ultimate sanction of dismissal by resigning before the employer imposes the sanction.
Investigating misconduct requires skill
There are a number of important issues relating to disciplinary investigations.
Poor conduct can mean poor management
Consistently poor conduct normally reflects a management that is either unskilled or unwilling to manage employee conduct.
Cross examination at disciplinary hearings
It is a well established and non-negotiable requirement that the employee accused at a disciplinary hearing be allowed to defend himself. This includes challenging the employer’s evidence.
Can false allegations be grounds for dismissal?
Issue - Whether an employee who makes a false allegation of racism against another employee can be dismissed?
