Labour Relations Act

The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 amended gives effect to the stated goals and principles of the Reconstruction and Development Programme of the Government and ensures that labour legislations comply with the provisions of the constitutions. The main goals of the Act are to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and the democratisation of the workplace. These goals are to be reached by furthering the primary objectives of the act, which are:

• To give effect to the fundamental’s rights conferred by the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution.
• To give effect to obligations incurred by the Republic of SA as a member state of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
• To provide a framework for collective bargaining between trade unions and employers and employer organisations.
• To promote orderly collective bargaining, collective bargaining at the sectoral level, employee participation in decision-making in the workplace and the effective resolution of labour disputes.

• Principles of the Labour Relations Act

The LRA promotes the right to:

• Fair labour practice
• Form and join employer/ employee organizations
• Organise and bargain collectively
• Strike and lockout
• Prohibits unfair discrimination
• Promotes self-governance and voluntarism in labour relations
• Favours conciliation and negotiation
• Reduce unnecessary technicalities in solving disputes
• Strengthens workplace democracy

The Duty of the Employer

The employer should:

• Pay the employee remuneration
• Enter into a contractual obligation
• Provide work to employees
• Provide basic conditions of employment
• Provide a safe working environment

The Duty of the Employee

• Contractually enter into service
• Perform diligently and competently
• Obey all lawful and reasonable instructions of the employer
• Promote the employer’s business and act in good faith (including protecting confidential information, not be competition with the employer and being honest)

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Handout 4A 12300 Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995

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