Notice No. 1877

13 December 1995

(English text signed by the President.)

(Assented to 29 November 1995.)

It is hereby notified that the President has assented to the following Act, which is hereby published for general information:—

To change the law governing labour relations and, for that purpose—

to give effect to section 23 of the Constitution;

to regulate the organisational rights of trade unions;

to promote and facilitate collective bargaining at the workplace and at sectoral level;

to regulate the right to strike and the recourse to lock-out in conformity with the Constitution;

to promote employee participation in decision-making through the establishment of workplace forums;

to provide simple procedures for the resolution of labour disputes through statutory conciliation, mediation and arbitration (for which purpose the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration is established), and through independent alternative dispute resolution services accredited for that purpose;

to establish the Labour Court and Labour Appeal Court as superior courts, with exclusive jurisdiction to decide matters arising from the Act;

to provide for a simplified procedure for the registration of trade unions and employers' organisations, and to provide for their regulation to ensure democratic practices and proper financial control;

to give effect to the public international law obligations of the Republic relating to labour relations;

to amend and repeal certain laws relating to labour relations; and

to provide for incidental matters.

BE IT ENACTED by the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa as follows:-

[Long title substituted by section 43 of Act No. 6 of 2014]