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Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act No. 66 of 1995)

Notices

National Bargaining Council for the Electrical Industry of South Africa

Extension of National Pension and Provident Funds Collective Agreement to Non-parties

12. Resolution of Disputes

 

(1) Procedure to enforce compliance with this agreement:

 

The Council shall take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure compliance with this agreement. If whether through its own investigations or through any other source, it appears as if the provisions of this agreement have been breached then the following procedure shall apply to enforce compliance:

 

(a) The appointed official of Council shall investigate the alleged breach.
(b) If, upon completion of the investigation, the appointed official of Council has reason to believe that this agreement  has been breached, the appointed person may endeavor to secure compliance with the agreement by any or all of the following means:
(i) Issue a compliance order requiring any person bound by the collective agreement to comply with the collective agreement within a specified period,
(ii) refer the matter to arbitration in terms of this agreement,
(iii) a designated agent of Council shall have all the powers conferred to him in terms of section 33 read with section 33A and Schedule 10 of the Act.
(c) Arbitration
(i) Upon referral of the unresolved dispute to  arbitration, Council shall appoint an arbitrator from its panel to hear and determine the alleged breach of this agreement. The arbitrator shall be independent of the Council.
(ii) The Council shall decide the date, time, and venue of the arbitration hearing, but shall  give the parties at least 21 days written notice of an arbitration hearing, unless the parties agree to a shorter period.
(iii) The Council shall serve notice of the date, time and venue of the arbitration on all parties who may have a legal interest in the outcome of arbitration.
(iv) Any party who has a legal interest in the outcome of the arbitration shall have the right to—
- give evidence
- call witnesses
- question the witnesses of the other party
- address the concluding arguments with the arbitrator
- be represented by a legal practitioner or co-employee or any office-bearer or official of his trade union or employers' organisation and, if the party is a juristic person, by a director or employee thereof.
(d) The arbitrator shall have the following powers:
(i) To determine whether there has been a breach of this Agreement.
(ii) To make any appropriate award that gives effect to the Collective Agreement and to ensure compliance therewith.
(i) To conduct the arbitration in a manner and form that he consider$ appropriate in order to determine the dispute fairly and quickly buf shall deal with the substantial merits of the dispute with the minimum of legal formalities. Subject to the discretion of the arbitrator as to the appropriate form of the proceedings, a party to the dispute may give evidence, call witnesses, question the witnesses of any other party and address concluding arguments to the arbitrator.
(iv) The appointed arbitrator may at any stage prior to or during the arbitratioR proceedings, suspend the arbitration proceedings and attempt to resolve the d spute through  conciliation with th' consent of all the parties to the dispute. If appropriate, the arbitrato.r may refer the dispute to another conciliator to be conciliated.
(v) To adjourn the arbitration proceedings to a later date or to make an award in the absence of a party who is alleged to have breached th Agreement, if:

Such party fails to appear in person or to be represented at th.19 arbitration proceedings, and prima cie evidence has been presented to the arbitrator that the party in question has failed tp comply with this agreement. Provided that proof is presented that written notification has been forwarded to such party—

(a) by registered mail to such party's last known address or an address chosen by that person to receive service and 21 days! have lapsed since such notification has been mailed;or
(b) by fax transmission to such party's last known fax number or; or' a fax number chosen by that person to receive service and 21 days have lapsed since such notification has been faxed; or
(c) by hand delivery to such party's last known business or residential address; or an address chosen by that person toi receive service and 21 days have lapsed since sueh notification has been hand delivered.
(d) by emailing a copy of the document to the person's email or an: emailaddress chosen by that person to receive service.
(e) a document may also be served—
(i) on a company or other body corporate by handing a copy tq a responsible employee of the company or body at it&: registered office, its principal place of business within the Republic orits main place of business within the magisterial district in which the dispute first arose;
(ii) on an employer by handing a copy of that document to a responsible employee  of  the  employer  at  the wolikplace where the employees involved in the diSpute ordinarily wor or worked;
(iii) on a trade  union  or  employers'  organisation  by handing a copy of that document to a responsible employee or official at th main office of the union or employers' organization or its office in the magistenal district in which the dispute arose;:
(iv) on a partnership, firm or association by handing a copy oJ that document to a responsible employee or official at th• place of business of the partnership, firm or association or, if it has  no  place  of  business,  by  serving  a  copy  of  th' document on a partner, the owner of the firm or chairman or secretary of the managing or other controlling body of the, association, as the case may be;
(v) on a municipality, by serving a copy of the document on the municipar manager or any person acting on behalf of that person;
(vi) on a statutory body by handing a copy to the secretary or similar officer or member of the board or committee of that body, or any person acting on behalf ofthat body or
(vii) on the state or a province, a state department or a provincial department,  a  minister,  premier  or  a  member  of  th executive committee of a province by handing a copy to responsible employee at the head office of the party or to responsible employee at any office of the State Attorney.
(f) If no person identified in (e)(i) to e(vii) above is willing to accept service may be effected by affixing a copy of the document to -
(i) the main door of the premises concerned;or
(ii) if this is not accessible, a post box or other place to which the public has access.

 

(g) The arbitrator conducting arbitration in terms of this sub-clausta has the powers of a Commissioner in terms of section 33A. section 142 and section 138 of the Act, read with the change$ required by the context.
(h) The appointed arbitrator shall have the power to vary, rescind or amend aAy arbitration award issued by him or by any arbitratqir .on application by any affected party or on his own accord within 14 days of the date on which the applicant became aware of tile arbitration award or ruling or a mistake common to the parties o the proceedings and without limiting the generality hereof shall have this power if -
the award was erroneously sought or erroneously made in the absence of any party affected by the award.
the award is ambiguous or contains an obvious error or omission, but only to the extent of that ambiguity, error or omission.
the award was granted as a result of a mistake common to the parties to the proceedings.
(i) Any award made by the arbitrator, shall be served on all interested parties by the Council and must be made within 14 days after the expiry of the arbitration proceedings.
(j) The Council may apply to make the arbitration award an order of court in terms of section 143 or section 158(1) of the Act.
(k) The Council may apply for a writ of execution to enforce the order of court made in terms of section 143{1) of the Act.
(I) The provisions of this procedure shall apply in additton to any other legal remedy which the Council may apply to enforce '9 collective agreement. In the event that the Council has to instru a debt coltecting agency or a legal practitioner to collect and or t litigate in respect  of any  amount  due to  it by the  defaulter  i'1 terms of any arbitration award, the defaulter shall also be liabl in terms of this clause for payment of any commission and any other litigation costs incurred in the enforcement and collection thereof.
(m) If the arbitrator finds that any party to the dispute has failed to comply with a provision of Council's collective agreements whiqh are binding on that party, then the arbitrator shall, in addttion to any other appropriate order, impose a fine on the non-compUart party in accordance with Section 29 (2) of Schedule 7 of the A<lil. read with Section 33A of the Act. An arbitrator shall also include, in an order, any interest that is due in terms of clause 27 of th Council's Main Collective Agreement and an arbitration fee of R500,00.
(n) Notwithstanding the provisions of thrs clause, the Council may: utilise section 33A, section 142 and Schedule 10 of the Act t<t monitor and enforce compliance with its collective agreements.
(o) Despite the provisions of this clause, a Council agent may noi issue a compliance order in respect of any amount payable to a11t employee as a result of a failure to comply with any provision of this agreement if -

That amount has been payable by the employer to the employe, for longer than 12 months before the date on which a complaint was made to the Council by or on behalf of that employee or, If no complaint was made, the date on which a Council agent fir endeavored to seoore compliance.

(p) Despite the aforesaid, if the non-compliance relates to unpaii:I Pension and or Provident Fund contributtons. the Council must issue a compliance order to secure compliance.

 

(2) Procedure for  Disputes  about  the  Interpretation  and/er  Application  of  thls Agreement
(a) If a dispute is referred to the Council by any party to Council,or aAy legal entity or person who falls within the registered scope of Council, it sh ll attempt to resolve the dispute through conciliation and if the dispute. remains  unresolved  after  conciliation,  the  Council  shall  appoint  aA arbitrator from its panel to arbitrate the dispute unless otherwise agreed to between all parties to the dispute. The arbitrator shall be independent of the Council.
(b) Any party or legal entity or person wishing to lodge such a dispute shall notify the Council in writing setting out all the details of the dispute. A, copy of such notification shall be served on all parties to the dispute in accordance with Rule 5 of the Rules for the Conduct of Proceedings before the CCMA.
(c) The Council shall arrange a conciliation meeting of the parties to the dispute within 14 days of the date it received the completed referral However, the parties to the dispute may agree to extend the 14-da)' period.
(d) In conciliation proceedings a party to tbe dispute may appear in person or be represented only by a director or employee of that paf'tV and if $ cl.ose corporation also a member thereof, or any member, office bearer or official of that party's registered trade union or registered employers' organisation.

(e)

(i) The Council may appoint a conciliator from its 11anel to attempt to resolve the dispute.
(ii) Any coAciliater appo1nted in terms of this sub-clause shall have all Of e powers conferred to him in terms of section 33A, section 142, section 138 and section 142A of the Act.
(iii) Any conciliator appointed in terms of this clat1se shall determine a process to attempt to resolve the dispute which may include -
mediating the dispute, or
·conducting a fact-finding exercise, or
making a recommendation to the parties, whrch may be  an
advisory award.

(f)

(i) When conciliation has failed, or at the end of the 30 day period or any further pertod asreed to between the parties, the conciliator must:

issue a certificate stating whether or not the dispute has been resolved and -

(ii) serve a copy of that certificate .on each party to the dispute or the person who represented a party in the conciliation proceedings; and
(iii) the original certificate must be filed with the Council
(g) If the dispute is not resolved at the conciliation meeting referred to in sub-clause (2) (c) above, it shall be referred to arbitration. unles$ otherwiS'e agreed to between the parties to the dispute.

The Council shall appoint an arbitrator who is avail. able to commence the  arbitration within 21  days from  the  date the  dispute was  noJ resolved  at  conciliation,  unless  otherwise agreed  to  between  th parties to the dispute. The powers of the arbitra or shall be the same as in clause 12(1) (d) above read with the changes required by tht eontext.

(h) In ·arbitration proceedings, a party to the dispute may appear in person or be represented only by a legal practitioner, a director or employee of that party and if a close corporation also a member thereof or any member, office bearer or official of that party'$ registered trade union, or registered employers' organisation,
(i) The arbitrator shall make a  determination  within  14 days of the completion of the hearing unless otherwise agreed to between the parties to the dispute.

Any party to the dispt1te who alleges a defect in ·the arbitrat on proceedings may apply to the Labour Court for an order setting aside the arbitration award In terms of section 145 of the LRA.

(j) Any party to the dispute may apply to make the arbitration award an order of court in terms of section 143 or section 158(1) of the Act.
(k) The arbitrator may on his/her own accord or on the application of any affected party, vary or rescind an arbitration award or ruling in terms of Section 144 of the LRA read with Rule 31 and Rule 32 of the CCMA Rules.