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Labour Law

Who Owns Your Employee’s Invention? Lessons from the “Please Call Me” Saga

It’s a case that has been making headlines for years, the “Please Call Me” saga in which Vodacom has been sued by an ex-employee and is now at risk of having to pay over billions of rand to him. With April being “World Intellectual Property Month”, now’s a perfect time to see what lessons this bitter fight holds for all employers and their employees.

Werkgewers: Pasop vir die mite van die ‘informele werker’

Werknemers in Suid-Afrika geniet goeie beskerming onder ‘n reeks wette soos die Wet op Basiese Diensvoorwaardes (WBDV), die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge (WAV) en die Wet op Gelyke Indiensneming (WGI). {The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Employment Equity Act (EEA).} Die gevolge vir werkgewers wat nie die bepalings van hierdie wette nakom nie, eindig gewoonlik by die Kommissie vir Versoening, Bemiddeling en Arbitrasie (KVBA).

When company directors and shareholders come to blows

If you should find yourself in such an unfortunate situation, our Companies Act offers you several possible remedies. Professional advice specific to your case is essential here but be aware of a particularly versatile remedy in the form of a court application for relief from “oppressive or prejudicial conduct”. This relief is available where…

A million rand warning: Act when employees reach retirement age

Many employees reaching “retirement age” (often set at 60 or 65) are not ready to retire. Perhaps they need to carry on earning an income, often they are fit and healthy and want to remain engaged and productive. Increasingly, both factors are at play. Regardless, the concepts of an aging workforce and “65 is the new 50” are here to stay, and employers and employees alike need to tackle the changing realities that come with them.

Can I lose my job for lying when calling in sick?

An all-too-common complaint in workplaces comes from employers who notice a sudden surge in employees calling in sick on the day of a major sports fixture, or perhaps just on a “good beach day”. So as an employer what can you do about it if your “sick” employee is captured on TV enthusiastically waving a patriotic flag in the stands at a test match, or is recognised by another beachgoer…