Ten reasons we are fighting for the Puk (and the things we are not fighting for)
Flip Buys, former council member and executive committee member of the North-West University
The North-West University (NWU), under the leadership of Dr Theuns Eloff, has become a paragon of excellence during recent years, mainly because of the university’s fine achievements in its core business of research, tuition and the application of knowledge.
That is owing to two particular reasons. The first is the management model which successfully combined the institutional unity of the university with room for diversity, in order to make provision for the unique circumstances of the three campuses.
Closed shop agreement (section 26 of the Labour Relations Act)
A representative trade union and an employer (or employers’ organisation) may conclude a collective agreement known as a closed shop agreement, requiring all employees covered by the agreement to be members of the trade union.
A closed shop agreement is binding only if:
- A ballot has been held of the employees to be covered by the agreement;
- two thirds of the employees who voted have voted in favour of the agreement;
- there is no provision in the agreement requiring membership of the representative trade union before employment commences; and
- it provides that no membership subscription or levy deducted will be paid to a political party as an affiliated fee, or directly to a political party or a person standing for election to any political office, or used for expenditure that does not advance the socio-economic interest of employees.
A trade union that is party to a closed shop agreement may not refuse an employee membership, unless the refusal is in accordance with the union’s constitution and the reason for the refusal is fair, including conduct that undermines the trade union’s collective exercise of rights.
An employer may dismiss an employee who refuses to join the trade union that is party to a closed shop agreement, or who is reasonably refused membership by the trade union, or who is legally expelled by the trade union. However, employees who were already employed at the time the closed shop agreement was concluded may not be dismissed for refusing to join the trade union, or if they are conscientious objectors. These employees may be required to pay the agreed agency fee.
Legal Question
Trade union memebership
By Phil DavelQuestion:
I accepted a job offer in the medical industry and have to answer a question about trade union membership in my contract of employment. Should I indicate that I’m a member of Solidarity, or could the employer penalise me because of it/discriminate against me because of it?
Recently in the news
Solidarity fights to keep factories running in the metal and engineering industry while Seifsa fights to shut them down
Employer agency Seifsa appears committed to continue with its lockout of non-striking workers as well as striking workers at more than a thousand Seifsa affiliated companies, thereby completely suspending the activities of all businesses concerned.
According to Solidarity General Secretary Gideon du Plessis, it is ironic that it is Solidarity who has to put up the fight to let non-striking workers keep operations fully or partly running as the coming strike and negotiations continue, while Seifsa’s actions threaten to bring operations to a halt. “The result of Seifsa’s ill-considered lockout action is that the impact of the strike is amplified, thus ensuring maximum damage to the economy.”
Campaigns
Solidarity Magazine
Read more in the latest edition
Solidarity Helping Hand
Victory for Helping Hand in Môrester court application
This week, Solidarity Helping Hand achieved a victory in its urgent court application brought on behalf of Môrester, a non-profit organisation and place of safety in Rustenburg. The court order of the Mafikeng High Court means that the Department of Social Development has to pay Môrester its subsidy arrears; has to grant Môrester’s re-registration as place of safety with immediate effect and has to pay Helping Hand’s legal costs.
AfriForum
AfriForum asks SABC for clarity on the future of Afrikaans public TV broadcasting
Following widespread dissatisfaction with the lack of Afrikaans TV news bulletins on SABC2 during the Soccer World Cup Tournament and rumours about the future of Afrikaans TV programmes, AfriForum sent an urgent letter to the SABC, asking for clarity on its future plans regarding Afrikaans TV broadcasting. AfriForum also pointed out to the SABC that it needs to improve its communication with the Afrikaans community.
According to Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, the civil rights organization’s members are extremely upset about the relocation and cancellation of Afrikaans news bulletins due to the broadcasting of soccer matches.
Service in a nutshell
How can members access Solidarity’s services?
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3 to access Solidarity’s services:
Website: www.solidariteit.co.za
SMS: SMS ‘SOL’ to 34388
E-mail: navrae@solidariteit.co.za / diens@solidariteit.co.za
Fax: 012 664 6493 / tel.: 0861 25 24 23Growth involves more than just membership numbers – it also concerns infrastructure, service delivery, systems, activities, communications and people. Solidarity is bigger and stronger than ever before and our mission is still the same: we protect our people.
What to do when you receive an enquiry
1. Access the webpage at the link www.verteenwoordiger.co.za.
2. Sign in using your e-mail address as your user name and your ID number as your password.To improve the support given to, and communication with shop stewards, a shop stewards’ webpage was created. The aim of the webpage is to offer a one-stop service to shop stewards by giving them access to advice, articles, useful documents, important dates, contact details, news, and so on.
Lizette Snyman, Labour Law Advisor: Shop Stewards and Shop Stewards’ Portal at Solidarity, manages the shop stewards’ webpage and handles e-mails and telephonic enquires received from shop stewards.
Shop stewards can contact Lizette at 0861 25 24 23 / 012 644 4334 or lizette@solidariteit.co.za if they need assistance regarding enquiries.
If you’re unable to sign in on www.verteenwoordiger.co.za, your e-mail address still needs to be registered on the webpage. Send an e-mail to elektronies@solidariteit.co.za and request access to
www.verteenwoordiger.co.za in order to register.Big cases
If a case/situation that you are involved in becomes newsworthy, please contact Solidarity’s media team. Send an e-mail to wenk@solidareit.co.za.
Important dates
- 1 - 3 July: intermediate-level shop steward straining in the Rustenburg area
- 8 – 10 July: intermediate-level shop steward straining in the Boksburg area
- 15 -17 July: intermediate-level shop steward straining in the Secunda and Welkom area
- 22 -24 July: intermediate-level shop steward straining in the Vaal triangle and Witbank area
- 29 – 31 July: intermediate-level shop steward straining in the Rustenburg and Boksburg area
Watch this space for the rest of the year’s training dates.
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