Ivan Israelstam explains in detail employee rights in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), and how the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and the Labour Court may approach disputes, which combine BCEA disputes, with matters under the Labour Relations Act (LRA), such as unfair dismissal disputes.   

This week, Ivan Israelstam lays out the procedures for an arbitration hearing, and the explains why it is critical to present evidence to support your case. 

The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) -- through the Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) -- is launching an online application system for the financial year 2020/21 for open call funding.

Women usually take a break from their careers because of personal reasons like: starting a family; attending to a loved one either in old age or sickness; getting married or relocating.

Bookworms can now sign up and join the President’s Reading Circle - a virtual book club - to enjoy recommended page turners.

What is required to suspend an employee from work?  This week Ivan Israelstam explains how employers can cause themselves very expensive problems by losing their temper and treating employees unfairly.  

"Hearing chairpersons should not count their chickens before they hatch" is good advice. This week Ivan Israelstam, how - and why - some employers try to manipulate the disciplinary process, and the potential consequences if this advice is not heeded. 

This week Ivan Istraelstam explains all of the dispute resolution bodies, and the fees and costs for an employer who is found to have unfairly dismissed an employee.

The popular TV series Mad Men tells the fictional stories of the cutthroat advertising industry in the 1960s. 

“Violence against women has become more than a national crisis. It is a crime against our common humanity.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has released a recorded video address where he spoke to the nation about the problem of violence against women and children - and also the xenophonic violence across the country.

Cabinet today released several Ministers from an ordinary sitting of Cabinet in Tuynhuys, Cape Town, to meet with hundreds of students who have gathered at Parliament in protest against gender based violence.

In the financial services industry, as seniority level increases, diversity declines. 

As with all disciplines, labour law has its own terminology. What does "hiding behind the corporate veil" mean? Ivan Israelstam explains how employers sometimes seek to hide the true nature of a business practice, and how the CCMA, bargaining councils, and labour courts will respond.   

In medium to large size companies, there will usually be a number of specialist departments. It is critical that employees within the company understand that any communication arriving from the CCMA should be passed on to the person designated to deal with CCMA matters. Failing to attend an arbitration hearing may well have serious - and expensive - consequences for the company. Ivan Israelstam provides cases to demonstrate the consequences of employer non-attendance.

There is a national strategy to improve skills and knowledge, to support people to find employment, and reduce unemployment. Learning programmes to achieve this, include apprenticeships, learnerships, graduate work programmes, in-service experience as part of a qualification. The people on these programmes are required to have an employment contract for the duration of the programme. What are the implications of that "employment" contract?

Skills that women bring to the table, once called soft skills, are now recognised as both profitable and essential. It is critical, then, to consider the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on women in the workplace.

An article by Forbes, The Pressure Is Real For Working Mothers, states that “43% of highly qualified women opt out or off-ramp on their way back to work post-baby.” 

This week Ivan Israelstam explains the process an exployer should adopt if a retrenchment of employees is contemplated. He explains what the steps are to be followed, to ensure that the employer complies with the requirements of the Labour Relations Act for what is an operational requirements dismissal.

South African business has a serious diversity problem - only 3.3% of listed companies have female CEOs and 85% of CEOs are white, despite an increase from 2018.

What is a transfer of a business, and what are the implications for the new owner of the business? This week Ivan Israelstam uses examples of cases to explain the expensive consequences for a business owner, who does not follow the requirements of the Labour Relations Act. 

As we begin National Women’s Month in South Africa, I have taken some time to reflect on the interactions I have had with strong successful women during the past seven years of training and coaching.

Minister in the Presidency for Women, youth and people with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, has made a call for an action under the hashtag #WhatWomenWant, noting that “we all know what women want”.