Equal Pay for Equal Work – Can You Differentiate Without Unfairly Discriminating?

“Prohibition of unfair discrimination: No person may unfairly discriminate, directly or indirectly, against an employee, in any employment policy or practice, on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, HIV status, conscience, belief, political opinion, culture, language, birth or […]

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Expats and Employers: Plan Now For the New Expat Tax Changes

Business, Employment and Labour Law, Tax / Law DotNews

“An income tax form is like a laundry list – either way you lose your shirt” (Comedian Fred Allen) This article is important to you if you are either a South African working abroad or an employer of one. If you don’t fall into either of those categories, but know someone who does, please think of

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Losing Your Licence with AARTO Demerits: More Danger than You Thought, and The Wheels are Turning

Employment and Labour Law, General Interest, Road Traffic / Law DotNews

“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” (humourist Dave Barry) AARTO (the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act) has been partially in force for years, but its demerit provisions have been

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Employers: When Should You Sue Rogue Employees? A R33m Example

Employment and Labour Law, Litigation / Law DotNews

It is the duty of an employee when rendering his or her services always to act exclusively in the interest of the employer … an employee is not entitled to use his or her employment relationship with the employer without the employer’s permission to make a profit or earn commission for his or her own

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Paternity Leave and Minimum Wages – How Will The New Laws Affect You?

Business, Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

Employers and employees need to know about four new Acts which will usher in important changes to our labour laws. The summary below is a short one of only those changes likely to affect a significant number of people and businesses, so take advice on your specific circumstances. In a nutshell – Parental leave extended

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Reporting Crime and the Defamation Danger: Lessons from the Workplace

Criminal Law / Crime, Delict and Civil Claims, Employment and Labour Law, Litigation / Law DotNews

Believing someone to be guilty of a crime you call the police and have the suspect arrested, only to have the charges dropped. Can you be sued for defamation? A recent High Court case provides some answers. A fraudulent iPad order, an arrest and a R1.6m claim A government employee was, at the instigation

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south african man holding new bank notes

It’s “13th Cheque” Time Again: Must You Pay Annual Bonuses?

Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

Once again November is upon us, and no doubt employees around the country are starting to dream of all the good things they can do with that “Christmas” bonus coming their way. If you are one of them perhaps you plan to pay off debt or to re-charge the family’s batteries with a special holiday.

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Dagga – Just How Legal is it Now?

Criminal Law / Crime, Employment and Labour Law, Road Traffic / Law DotNews

The media has been awash with reports (sometimes conflicting, often vague) of what the recent Constitutional Court ruling actually means in practice. Whether you agree with the ruling or not, and whether or not you personally have ever had (or intend to have) anything to do with cannabis/marijuana/weed/dagga, we all need to be aware of

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emotionally washed out man dreaming at work

Aging Employees: When Must They Retire?

Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

“Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples” (Comedian George Burns) Record numbers of Baby Boomers are now reaching their 60s, and if you are an employer in any size of business (from the smallest family-owned enterprise to the largest corporate), make sure now that you have a policy in place to

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confident employer firing the employee from the company

“You’re Fired for Misconduct” v “No, I Resign” – Who Wins?

Employment and Labour Law / Law DotNews

You want to charge one of your employees with serious misconduct so you institute disciplinary proceedings. To avoid a possible dismissal the employee resigns “with immediate effect”. Can you go ahead with disciplining the employee? Until recently the answer was no, the Labour Court having decided in such a matter that immediate resignation brings an

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