• Customized, in-house client specific training interventions.
• Training material customized aligned with client policy & procedures.
• Post course assistance provided at no additional cost.
• One daily fee includes all workbooks, research, and customization.
• All training courses are adapted to suit the relevant audience.
• Variety of training topics / interventions
• Shop Steward training and progress evaluation
• Compilation of in-house customised training and generic training topics
• Compilation of Workplace Skills Plans
• Public seminars held on all topics related to labour law.

SEMINARS & TRAINING courses

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN AND THE BENEFITS

All seminars are offered as an in-house training course option and are purposely designed to encompass all managers, supervisors, and departmental heads from the same company instead of the usual one individual who attends external training interventions. This then spreads the training to all key personnel to maintain consistency and uniformity.

For easy learning, programmes are fully customised to include the client culture, union interaction and the clients’ own policies, disciplinary codes & procedures.

• Hiring and firing in compliance with S.A. Labour Law
• The Crucial Aspects of Labour Law for S.A. Managers
• Conducting and initiating a company Disciplinary Enquiry
• An Introduction to Industrial Relations in S.A.
• Winning at the at the CCMA!! (Including the new rules for 2023)
• Dismissals related to Misconduct – the new CCMA arbitration guidelines for 2023.
• Leading of Evidence in Disciplinary Hearings
• Shop Stewards and their secondary role in the workplace
• Collective Bargaining and trade union rights in the workplace
• Workplace Discipline
• New Amendments to the Labour Relations Act & BCEA
• Discrimination in SA and Section 186(e) of the LRA
• Performance Management “Slipping Corporate standards”
• Hiring and firing in compliance with SA Labour Law
• Drug, Alcohol and Trauma in the workplace.

INTRODUCTION TO LABOUR LAW & COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

• The sudden change in legal, economic, social, and political orders holds far reaching effects for labour relations in South Africa. Everyone is affected by these changes brought about by numerous new legislative changes.
• As an entrepreneur or director your business is very dear to you – it runs on your initiative, your time and naturally you make all the business decisions. Or do you? What role does your labour force have in decision making? What do they do if they don’t approve of your decisions – in fact just what kind of say does your labour force have in decision making? What kind of say should they have?
• What happens when one of your staff is not performing, or refuses to comply with the standards of the business? What happens when a Trade Union arrives on your doorstep and begins to speak of issues that you were not even aware of? What can you do if you disagree with the Unions – can you disagree?
• If you can’t answer any of the above questions with 100% assurance, don’t despair; you are in the same boat as most of us !
• Welcome to Industrial Relations…..
• The logical study of the illogical, the understanding of the misunderstood and the frustrating complexities of the relatively simple.

UNION AND ORGANISATIONAL ‘RIGHTS’ – NEW UNION DEMANDS

The sudden change in legal, economic, social, and political orders holds far reaching effects for labour relations in South Africa. Everyone is affected by these changes brought about by numerous new legislative changes. Minority unions have been granted access and organisational rights, challenging the way you will do business.

As an entrepreneur or director your business is very dear to you – it runs on your initiative, your time and naturally you make all the business decisions. Or do you? What role does your labour force have in decision making? What happens when a Trade Union arrives on your doorstep and begins to speak of issues that you were not even aware of? What can you do if you disagree with the Unions – can you disagree?

What do they do if they don’t approve of your decisions – in fact just what kind of say does your labour force have in decision making? What kind of say should they have?

Unions which are “sufficiently representative” either independently or with an affiliated union, of the employees in the workplace have rights of access to employer’s premises in order to recruit members, hold meetings and to conduct ballots. Many companies have been the target for recruitment campaigns by COSATU affiliate unions in the past few months. The unions are running rampant and their demands are crippling business.

• What do you do when you get demands for access?
• When you get demands to meet with the union?
• When you get demands to enter into a Recognition Agreement?
• What and who protects the employers in this instance?
• How can I respond to these demands?
• Can a transport union engage with my steel business employees?
• How the CCMA assists unions to organize their members?

This Programme is designed to assist management and business owners coming to grips with the bullying and frustrating tactics of the unions.

WORKPLACE DISCIPLINE

A practical management training workshop that will change the way you approach discipline within your workplace. Complacency, inconsistency, and a fear of the “unknown” allow employees to lower general disciplinary standards. This hard hitting looks at “slipping corporate disciplinary standards”, facilitated by Peter Dixon, has been specifically aimed at providing Managers and Supervisors with hands on assistance, advice and confidence when enforcing rules and standards. This programme will provide valuable practical assistance in how to confidently manage problem employees and give you the tools to manage misconduct, poor performance and incapacity.

• Enforcing rules and standards – understanding the various dismissal categories
• Managing problem employees – misconduct, poor performance and incapacity
• Implementing procedures to the new CCMA standards,

This practical and informative workshop will focus on discipline in the workplace, covering topics such as:-

• Automatically unfair dismissals – what not to do.
• Dismissal categories
• Preparing your case – the Initiator
• Delivering a well-motivated outcome – Chairperson
• Difference phases of the enquiry
• Procedural fairness – to CCMA standards
• Substantive fairness – who’s call is it actually?
• The Law of Evidence as required by the CCMA.
• Disciplining Shop Stewards

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This programme is aimed at all HR Managers, HR officers, labour consultants, labour brokers, company owners and IR managers.

DISMISSALS RELATED TO MISCONDUCT – THE NEW CCMA ARBITRATION GUIDELINES

Many employers continue to apply current disciplinary policies and procedures when applying disciplinary action for misconduct offenders. Yet few are aware of the many changes to the CCMA guidelines for misconduct dismissals and the new policy applied by the CCMA Commissioners. Little or no changes have been made to company procedures and are surprised when the CCMA adopts a different attitude and a different approach to misconduct dismissals. Costly mistakes are being made by companies who continue to “run the process” as they have for the past years. Three highly experienced professionals will impart valuable and practical experience to delegates supplemented by case law, useful hand-outs, and a workbook.

DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS – MISCONDUCT OFFENCES

• Initiating suspension hearings prior to automatically suspending employees pending misconduct hearings
• Issuing warnings to employees.
• The investigation of misconduct issues
• The design and drafting of the charge sheet, notice to attend and representation.
• Addressing specific previously difficult misconduct matters (drugs, intercepted emails, alcohol, and post trauma stress)
• The law of evidence – polygraph results, video evidence, 3rd party interventions.
• The enquiry process and the new CCMA guidelines
• Appeal hearings

CCMA GUIDELINES –MISCONDUCT ARBITRATIONS

• Arbitrators bound by Labour Court decisions (precedent).
• Rules for Commissioners when dealing with misconduct arbitrations.
• Locus standi rules now enforced.
• The Award must be lawful, must be procedurally fair and be reasonable.
• CCMA arbitration hearings are held “de novo” (new hearing, not a repeat of previous hearing).
• Preliminary issues (in liminie”) raised at arbitration now require immediate ruling by Commissioner.
• The CCMA guidelines on the 6 stages of arbitration.
• Commissioner required to take notes of testimony provided by participants.
• Substantive & procedural fairness – application of the rules.

A CRUCIAL AND CRITICAL PROGRAMME

Many companies have costly compensation orders from the CCMA due to Line Managers and HR staff not complying with legislation and rules regarding disciplinary matters. This comprehensive programme imparts detailed insight into misconduct hearings in the workplace and adopting these processes to comply with the new order at the CCMA when defending dismissal sanctions. This programme will align management thinking, will encourage managers and empower managers to apply fair dismissal sanctions confidently. Complacency, inconsistency and turning “a blind eye” by management are some of the pitfalls companies often experience.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This programme is aimed at all HR Managers, HR officers, labour consultants, labour brokers, company owners and IR managers. It gives a practical hands-on approach for dealing with misconduct in the workplace, how to conduct disciplinary hearings in line with the principles of fairness and equity as envisaged by the new guidelines of the CCMA.

DRUG, ALCOHOL AND TRAUMA IN THE WORKPLACE

The misuse of drugs and alcohol is a national problem of immense proportions. The social, psychological, emotional and physical consequences affect the lives of men and women regardless of age or status, ethnic origins, sexuality or disability. Most people with a substance abuse problem are employed. Substance abuse is therefore also an industrial problem. The abuse of drugs and alcohol has serious consequences in the workplace on health, safety, staff relationships and productivity. Drugs and alcohol abuse has a negative effect on the workplace due to absenteeism, increased use of medical benefits, worker’s compensation claims, poor productivity, high job turnover, interpersonal conflict, injuries and damage to property. The seminar enforces recognizes the need for effective and consistent action, while striking a proper balance between work, privacy, and concern for the individual.

• The objective of this Seminar is to identify and remove the adverse effects of alcohol on job performance, and to protect the health and safety of our employees by providing education and treatment.
• To define corporate responses to violations of substance abuse, including progressive discipline procedures and a treatment option in some instances.
• To define employer and employee responsibilities regarding prevention of substance abuse problems.
• By defining standards of behaviour and by providing educational programs to create an awareness of alcohol-related problems and attempts to prepare individuals to act responsibly.
• To address the non-workplace and non-visible situations concerning trauma and the ability to continue working effectively.

The aim of this Substance Abuse Seminar program is:

• to promote the sensible and appropriate use of alcohol among employees, as it relates to the workplace.
• to encourage and assist employees who suspect or know that they have a problem with alcohol / trauma and abuse issues to seek help, in confidence, at an early stage.
• to encourage senior staff and supervisors to offer referral to an appropriate agency for specialist help to those members of staff who request support, or whose work performance may be affected by the inappropriate use of alcohol;
• to protect employees and the public from the potential adverse effects of inappropriate use of alcohol.
• to provide mechanisms for the early detection and treatment of persons who may have a substance abuse problem (Over the counter drugs included)
• procedures for defining the role and responsibilities of management when dealing with substance abuse at work.
• Using the Incapacity process as defined in Schedule 8 of the Labour Relations Act
• The workplace effects of domestic violence on an employee.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This programme is aimed at all HR Managers, HR officers, labour consultants, labour brokers, Well-being practitioners, company owners and IR managers. It gives a practical hands-on approach for dealing with Drugs, alcohol, and trauma in the workplace.

HIRING AND FIRING IN COMPLIANCE WITH S.A. LABOUR LAW

A Management Training Workshop that will change the way you approach Recruitment.

Peter Dixon & Associates, a specialist, Corporate Labour Relations Consultancy, has put together a practical and informative training session for Management to assist with the demands of “fair practice” when recruiting new staff, taking the pending Labour Legislation into regard.

This practical and informative workshop has been specifically aimed at providing agencies, managers, and supervisors with hands on assistance, advice and guidance when taking on new staff. Companies are now facilitating recruitment from within, due to the high cost of agency fees. Recruitment is essential and an integral part of the HR function – get it wrong and you will find yourself going off to the CCMA for unfair recruitment practices.

Recruitment strategies for 2019 will be highlighted and this programme with include the amendments to the new LRA relating to Labour Brokers and Temporary Employment Services (TES’s).

COURSE CONTENT

Delegates will learn how to effectively and correctly initiate and facilitate the recruitment, selection, and induction of new staff as an in-house HR function.

• The Design of the Job Specification –Indirect Discrimination concerns?
• Attracting the right candidates – how do I stay inside the law?
• Understanding company culture – What is Incompatibility?
• Non-discrimination, advertising, and internal advertising.
• Professional Agencies / Recruitment Agencies / Head Hunting – The pitfalls.
• Recruitment of retrenched workers – the law!
• The Interview – What to say and what you dare not ask!
• The job applicant as an employee!
• Interview guidelines and all the labour regulations applicable
• Testing! Should I do it, can I do it?
• Joint and Several Liability – “not our problem anymore, or is it?”

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This programme is aimed at all HR Managers, HR officers, labour consultants, labour brokers, Well-being practitioners, company owners and IR managers.