Source: BusinessTech
In response to the current civil unrest taking place in South Africa, many businesses have had to close operations out of fear of attacks and to ensure the safety of their employees, says law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.
Some employees have also been unable to reach their places of work as protestors disrupt entries and exits from communities, the firm said.
“Under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, for as long as an employee tenders their services, even without actual performance, they will have a valid claim for their agreed wages or salary.
“An employment contract is a reciprocal contract with an agreement that an employee will perform work for their employer and the employer will in return remunerate the employee at an agreed rate.
“If the employee is available and legally tenders their services, their employer has a duty to pay them.”
An employee may justifiably refuse to attend an unsafe workplace until it is safe to go to work again. That would still be a valid tendering of services, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr said.
“Sections 8(1) and 8(2)(h) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act ‘places a duty’ on employers to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a safe working environment and to enforce such measures as may be necessary in the interest of health and safety.
“This would include not subjecting employees to workplaces where the risk of being attacked during civil unrest is imminent. Where possible, the parties may, as an alternative, agree to a remote working arrangement while the unrest persists.”
Legal precedent
South African courts have ruled on instances where an employer ceases to trade because of economic hardship, and where it does so as a result of a force majeure event, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr said.
It added that economic hardship is not a valid basis to excuse an employer from paying salaries.
“In relation to a supervening impossibility or force majeure, our courts have held that a temporary impossibility neither terminates an obligation nor gives rise to a right to terminate an obligation.
“It merely temporarily suspends the duty to perform the obligation while the impossibility continues.”
The firm cited the case of Mhlonipheni v Mezepoli Melrose Arch and Other where the court stated that the question to be answered was whether it is objectively impossible for a party to perform its obligations arising from a concluded employment agreement.
In the case Unlocked Properties 4 (Pty) Limited v A Commercial Properties CC, the court stated that the test for impossibility is as follows:
Temporary lay-off
To circumvent the financial strain of a company having to pay its employees full pay for work not done, at no fault of the employer or the employee, employers and employees may need to conclude a temporary lay-off period in a scenario where the company is struggling to pay its employees due to an unexpected event, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr said.
“The agreement can stipulate that the period of this agreement can continue until such a time that the employer is able to pay its employees.
“Where possible, employers should enter into an agreement regarding shorter working hours and less pay. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act prohibits deductions without mutual consent but allows for less pay for fewer hours worked. In addition, employers should invoke annual leave until it is able to resume operations.”
To the extent that an employee’s services will not be needed for the foreseeable future, the employer could initiate a retrenchment process, basing it on operational requirements, in terms of the Labour Relations Act, the firm said.
At Mahumani Inc. our specialist Labour Law Attorneys offer expert advice on all labour and employment-related issues including but not limited to retrenchments, contracts of employment, employment policies, and practices.
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