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

Chapter II : Freedom of Association and General Protections

5. Protection of employees and persons seeking employment

 

(1) No person may discriminate against an employee for exercising any right conferred by this Act.

 

(2) Without limiting the general protection conferred by subsection (1), no person may do, or threaten to do, any of the following—
(a) require an employee or a person seeking employment—
(i) not to be a member of a trade union or workplace forum;
(ii) not to become a member of a trade union or workplace forum; or
(iii) to give up membership of a trade union or workplace forum;
(b) prevent an employee or a person seeking employment from exercising any right conferred by this Act or from participating in any proceedings in terms of this Act; or
(c) prejudice an employee or a person seeking employment because of past, present or anticipated—
(i) membership of a trade union or workplace forum;
(ii) participation in forming a trade union or federation of trade unions or establishing a workplace forum;
(iii) participation in the lawful activities of a trade union, federation of trade unions or workplace forum;
(iv) failure or refusal to do something that an employer may not lawfully permit or require an employee to do;
(v) disclosure of information that the employee is lawfully entitled or required to give to another person;
(vi) exercise of any right conferred by this Act; or
(vii) participation in any proceedings in terms of this Act.

 

(3) No person may advantage, or promise to advantage, an employee or a person seeking employment in exchange for that person not exercising any right conferred by this Act or not participating in any proceedings in terms of this Act. However, nothing in this section precludes the parties to a dispute from concluding an agreement to settle that dispute.

 

(4) A provision in any contract, whether entered into before or after the commencement of this Act, that directly or indirectly contradicts or limits any provision of section 4, or this section, is invalid, unless the contractual provision is permitted by this Act.