Essential Services Committee designates certain port services as essential services

On Monday 6 October 2025, Professor Halton Cheadle of Cheadle Thompson & Haysom Inc. together with Professor John Dugard, led by Ambassador Vusi Madonsela, will present South Africa’s case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the request for an advisory opinion on the Right to Strike under International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 87.

On 16 April 2025, the Labour Court handed down judgment in Public Investment Corporation v More. The judgment concerned the application of the Prescription Act to disciplinary proceedings, and whether misconduct disciplinary charges prescribe.

On 13 February 2025, the Labour Appeal Court handed down judgment in Director-General: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment v The Sheriff, Pretoria North-East. The judgment concerned whether a security bond furnished by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment complied with section 145(7) of the Labour Relations Act. Section 145(7) permits a review applicant to furnish security to suspend the operation of an arbitration award pending the outcome of the application.

While employees are entitled to postponements in a disciplinary hearing if they demonstrate good cause, there is a limit to how long an employee-driven delay can be justified. A recent decision of the Labour Court has raised the question of whether an employer may implement suspension without pay in the face of dilatory tactics occasioned by the employee.