KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
ABR 410 – LABOUR LAW
Contents
STUDY THEME 8: FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS: .................................................... 3
1. INTRODUCTION:........................................................................................................................................... 4
2. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF THE LRA: ................................. 5
3. EXPECTATIONS TO THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF THE LRA: ............................. 7
i. CLOSED SHOP AGREEMENT: ............................................................................................................................ 7
ii. AGENCY SHOP AGREEMENT:............................................................................................................................ 8
4. RIGHT TO ORGANISE: ................................................................................................................................... 9
5. REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIONS TO QUALIFY FOR STATUTORY ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS:........................... 9
i. SUFFICIENTLY REPRESENTATIVE’ UNIONS:..................................................................................................... 10
ii. MAJORITY UNIONS: ........................................................................................................................................ 12
6. STATUTORY ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS (READ): ........................................................................................ 13
i. ACCESS TO THE WORKPLACE: ........................................................................................................................ 13
ii. DEDUCTIONS OF TRADE UNION SUBSCROPTIONS (CHECK-OFF FACILITIES): ................................................. 13
iii. ELECTION & FUNCTIONS OF TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES (SHOP STEWARDS): ..................................... 13
iv. LEAVE FOR TRADE UNION ACTIVITIES: ........................................................................................................... 14
v. DISCLOSURE OF INFO: .................................................................................................................................... 14
7. DISPUTES CONCERNING THE EXERCISE OF ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS & OTHER DISPUTES:..................... 15
STUDY THEME 9: COLLECTIVE BARGAINING STRUCTURES, COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS, STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS: .. 18
1. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND WORKER PARTICIPATION - INTRODUCTION: ............................................ 19
2. BARGAINING PARTIES – TRADE UNIONS, EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATIONS: .................... 21
i. INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................................................................. 21
ii. EFFECT OF REGISTRATION OF A TRADE UNION OR EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATION: ........................................ 21
iii. BALLOTS ABOUT STRIKES OR LOCK-OUTS (NB FOR SEM TEST/ EXAM): ......................................................... 22
3. BARGAINING COUNCILS: ............................................................................................................................ 22
i. INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................................................................. 22
4. STRIKES AND LOCK-OUTS - INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................. 23
5. WHAT IS A STRIKE?..................................................................................................................................... 25
i. REFUSAL OF WORK: ....................................................................................................................................... 25
ii. COLLECTIVE ACTION:...................................................................................................................................... 26
iii. PURPOSE OF THE STRIKE: ............................................................................................................................... 26
Page 1 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
6. PROTECTED AND UNPROTECTED STRIKES – SUBSTANTIVE LIMITATIONS: ................................................ 27
7. PROTECTED AND UNPROTECTED STRIKES – PROCEDURAL LIMITATIONS (NB!): ....................................... 31
31
i. REFERRAL FOR CONCILIATION: ...................................................................................................................... 31
ii. ISSUING OF A CERTIFICATE OF OUTCOME OR EXPIRY OF 30-DAY PERIOD: .................................................... 31
iii. NOTICE: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31
8. SECONDARY STRIKES: ................................................................................................................................. 33
i. DEFINITION: ................................................................................................................................................... 33
ii. LIMITATIONS ON SECONDARY STRIKES: ......................................................................................................... 34
9.
PROTECTED STRIKES: ................................................................................................................................. 35
i. IMMUNITIES (NB: FOLLOW-UP QUESTION AFTER YOU HAVE DETERMINE WHETHER IT IS A PROTECTIVE/
UNPROTECTIVE STRIKE): ......................................................................................................................................... 35
ii. THE RIGHT TO PICKET: ................................................................................................................................... 38
10. LOCK-OUTS: ............................................................................................................................................... 41
Page 2 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
STUDY THEME 8: FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND
ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS:
LEARNING OUTCOMES - Discuss the following aspects regarding Chapter 14:
✓ The protection of the right to freedom of association.
✓ What tests need to be applied, and what legal processes need to be followed to
determine if a trade union is “sufficiently representative”?
✓ Explain the different organisational rights that majority and sufficiently representative
trade unions are entitled to.
✓ Are minority trade unions entitled to strike in order to gain organisational rights?
CUMPULSORY STUDY MATERIAL:
✓ Van Niekerk and Smit Law@work (2019) Chapter 14.
✓ NUMSA & others v Bader Bop (Pty) Ltd & another [2003] 2 BLLR 103 (CC).
✓ SACTWU v Marley (SA) (Pty) Ltd (2000) 21 ILJ 425 (CCMA).
✓ Van Eck and Newaj “The Constitutional Court on the Rights of Minority Trade Unions in
a Majoritarian Collective Bargaining System” (2020) CCR 331.
✓ Police & Prisons Civil Rights Union v SA Correctional Services Workers Union & Others
[2018] 11 BLLR 1035 (CC).
✓ Fergus “The Right to Union Representation in Individual Workplace Disputes: Whose
Right Is It Anyway? Thoughts on Solidarity v SA Police Service & others (2019) 40 ILJ 448
(LC)” (2020) 41 ILJ 104 2020.
Page 3 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
1. INTRODUCTION:
• The right to freedom of association is recognised by the ILO in its Constitution and Convention 87.
• SA Constitution recognises freedom of association as well.
• The right to freedom of association is internationally recognised and protected, and has historically been
linked to other democratic rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the right to
dignity. The preamble to the ILO’s Constitution records that the principle of freedom of association is
among the means of improving the conditions of workers and ensuring peace. In 1944, the ILO adopted
the Declaration of Philadelphia, which affirms the principle of freedom of association as one of the
fundamental principles on which the ILO is based, and as an essential precondition to sustained progress.
More recently, the ILO adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which
recognises that member states have an obligation, by virtue of their membership of the ILO, to promote,
recognise and realise the principles that are the subject of core conventions, including the principle of
freedom of association. The right to freedom of association is also the subject of many other international
human rights instruments. For example, section 20(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948
states that each individual has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• ILO Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise) is the principal source of
international obligations in relation to the right to freedom of association in the world of work. Article 2
of the Convention stipulates that ‘Workers without distinction shall have the right to establish and, subject
only to the rules of the organisation concerned, to join organisations of their own choosing without
previous authorisation’. The Convention sets out a number of additional guarantees, including the rights
to organise administration and activities and to formulate programmes, in full freedom, and without
interference by the state.
• The Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of association, both generally and in relation to
employment.
• The LRA protects the right to freedom of association and the right to organise in two ways. First, Chapter
II of the Act extends specific rights and protections to workers and to employers. Secondly, Chapter III
extends organisational rights to registered trade unions that meet representativeness thresholds.
Organisational rights strengthen and support trade unions, and in doing so promote the institution of
collective bargaining. Organisational rights make it possible for trade unions to recruit members, to
interact and engage with them, and to maintain a degree of financial stability, and that serves ultimately
to promote collective bargaining.
Page 4 of 42
ABR 410 – LABOUR LAW
Contents
STUDY THEME 8: FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS: .................................................... 3
1. INTRODUCTION:........................................................................................................................................... 4
2. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF THE LRA: ................................. 5
3. EXPECTATIONS TO THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION IN TERMS OF THE LRA: ............................. 7
i. CLOSED SHOP AGREEMENT: ............................................................................................................................ 7
ii. AGENCY SHOP AGREEMENT:............................................................................................................................ 8
4. RIGHT TO ORGANISE: ................................................................................................................................... 9
5. REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIONS TO QUALIFY FOR STATUTORY ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS:........................... 9
i. SUFFICIENTLY REPRESENTATIVE’ UNIONS:..................................................................................................... 10
ii. MAJORITY UNIONS: ........................................................................................................................................ 12
6. STATUTORY ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS (READ): ........................................................................................ 13
i. ACCESS TO THE WORKPLACE: ........................................................................................................................ 13
ii. DEDUCTIONS OF TRADE UNION SUBSCROPTIONS (CHECK-OFF FACILITIES): ................................................. 13
iii. ELECTION & FUNCTIONS OF TRADE UNION REPRESENTATIVES (SHOP STEWARDS): ..................................... 13
iv. LEAVE FOR TRADE UNION ACTIVITIES: ........................................................................................................... 14
v. DISCLOSURE OF INFO: .................................................................................................................................... 14
7. DISPUTES CONCERNING THE EXERCISE OF ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS & OTHER DISPUTES:..................... 15
STUDY THEME 9: COLLECTIVE BARGAINING STRUCTURES, COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS, STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS: .. 18
1. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND WORKER PARTICIPATION - INTRODUCTION: ............................................ 19
2. BARGAINING PARTIES – TRADE UNIONS, EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATIONS: .................... 21
i. INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................................................................. 21
ii. EFFECT OF REGISTRATION OF A TRADE UNION OR EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATION: ........................................ 21
iii. BALLOTS ABOUT STRIKES OR LOCK-OUTS (NB FOR SEM TEST/ EXAM): ......................................................... 22
3. BARGAINING COUNCILS: ............................................................................................................................ 22
i. INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................................................................. 22
4. STRIKES AND LOCK-OUTS - INTRODUCTION: ............................................................................................. 23
5. WHAT IS A STRIKE?..................................................................................................................................... 25
i. REFUSAL OF WORK: ....................................................................................................................................... 25
ii. COLLECTIVE ACTION:...................................................................................................................................... 26
iii. PURPOSE OF THE STRIKE: ............................................................................................................................... 26
Page 1 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
6. PROTECTED AND UNPROTECTED STRIKES – SUBSTANTIVE LIMITATIONS: ................................................ 27
7. PROTECTED AND UNPROTECTED STRIKES – PROCEDURAL LIMITATIONS (NB!): ....................................... 31
31
i. REFERRAL FOR CONCILIATION: ...................................................................................................................... 31
ii. ISSUING OF A CERTIFICATE OF OUTCOME OR EXPIRY OF 30-DAY PERIOD: .................................................... 31
iii. NOTICE: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31
8. SECONDARY STRIKES: ................................................................................................................................. 33
i. DEFINITION: ................................................................................................................................................... 33
ii. LIMITATIONS ON SECONDARY STRIKES: ......................................................................................................... 34
9.
PROTECTED STRIKES: ................................................................................................................................. 35
i. IMMUNITIES (NB: FOLLOW-UP QUESTION AFTER YOU HAVE DETERMINE WHETHER IT IS A PROTECTIVE/
UNPROTECTIVE STRIKE): ......................................................................................................................................... 35
ii. THE RIGHT TO PICKET: ................................................................................................................................... 38
10. LOCK-OUTS: ............................................................................................................................................... 41
Page 2 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
STUDY THEME 8: FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND
ORGANISATIONAL RIGHTS:
LEARNING OUTCOMES - Discuss the following aspects regarding Chapter 14:
✓ The protection of the right to freedom of association.
✓ What tests need to be applied, and what legal processes need to be followed to
determine if a trade union is “sufficiently representative”?
✓ Explain the different organisational rights that majority and sufficiently representative
trade unions are entitled to.
✓ Are minority trade unions entitled to strike in order to gain organisational rights?
CUMPULSORY STUDY MATERIAL:
✓ Van Niekerk and Smit Law@work (2019) Chapter 14.
✓ NUMSA & others v Bader Bop (Pty) Ltd & another [2003] 2 BLLR 103 (CC).
✓ SACTWU v Marley (SA) (Pty) Ltd (2000) 21 ILJ 425 (CCMA).
✓ Van Eck and Newaj “The Constitutional Court on the Rights of Minority Trade Unions in
a Majoritarian Collective Bargaining System” (2020) CCR 331.
✓ Police & Prisons Civil Rights Union v SA Correctional Services Workers Union & Others
[2018] 11 BLLR 1035 (CC).
✓ Fergus “The Right to Union Representation in Individual Workplace Disputes: Whose
Right Is It Anyway? Thoughts on Solidarity v SA Police Service & others (2019) 40 ILJ 448
(LC)” (2020) 41 ILJ 104 2020.
Page 3 of 42
, KYLIE VAN DER MERWE - NOTES
1. INTRODUCTION:
• The right to freedom of association is recognised by the ILO in its Constitution and Convention 87.
• SA Constitution recognises freedom of association as well.
• The right to freedom of association is internationally recognised and protected, and has historically been
linked to other democratic rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the right to
dignity. The preamble to the ILO’s Constitution records that the principle of freedom of association is
among the means of improving the conditions of workers and ensuring peace. In 1944, the ILO adopted
the Declaration of Philadelphia, which affirms the principle of freedom of association as one of the
fundamental principles on which the ILO is based, and as an essential precondition to sustained progress.
More recently, the ILO adopted the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which
recognises that member states have an obligation, by virtue of their membership of the ILO, to promote,
recognise and realise the principles that are the subject of core conventions, including the principle of
freedom of association. The right to freedom of association is also the subject of many other international
human rights instruments. For example, section 20(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948
states that each individual has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• ILO Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise) is the principal source of
international obligations in relation to the right to freedom of association in the world of work. Article 2
of the Convention stipulates that ‘Workers without distinction shall have the right to establish and, subject
only to the rules of the organisation concerned, to join organisations of their own choosing without
previous authorisation’. The Convention sets out a number of additional guarantees, including the rights
to organise administration and activities and to formulate programmes, in full freedom, and without
interference by the state.
• The Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of association, both generally and in relation to
employment.
• The LRA protects the right to freedom of association and the right to organise in two ways. First, Chapter
II of the Act extends specific rights and protections to workers and to employers. Secondly, Chapter III
extends organisational rights to registered trade unions that meet representativeness thresholds.
Organisational rights strengthen and support trade unions, and in doing so promote the institution of
collective bargaining. Organisational rights make it possible for trade unions to recruit members, to
interact and engage with them, and to maintain a degree of financial stability, and that serves ultimately
to promote collective bargaining.
Page 4 of 42
