SEIFSA Industrial Relations & Legal Services

SEIFSA’s IR and Legal Services division has highly-skilled and experienced staff that are acknowledged industry experts. They have a specialised knowledge of collective bargaining, Bargaining Council agreements, dispute resolution, labour law and environmental and commercial law issues.

The IR and Legal team assists with:

  • Company-level IR policies, procedures and practices
  • General industrial relations and legal issues
  • Bargaining council agreements and exemption applications
  • Company-level disciplinary enquiries and appeal hearings
  • Dispute resolution
  • Legal Representation in the MEIBC, CCMA and Labour Courts
  • Conciliation and arbitration proceedings
  • Employee job grading
  • Retrenchments and short-time

Provides advice and training on issues pertaining to:

  • Collective Agreements
  • Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA)
  • Employment Equity Act (EEA)
  • Labour Relations Act (LRA)
  • Employment Services Act (ESA)

SEIFSA’s experts are ready to advise, assist and represent management in all dealings with trade unions at company level, for example on:

  • Proposed employee retrenchments
  • Industrial disputes and strikes
  • Union demands for recognition and access

We negotiate company-level union recognition and procedural agreements and give written comments and advice on all company-level policies and documents – for example, on labour broking, employment contracts and disciplinary warning letters.

The assistance includes, but is not limited to drawing up IR documents, including documents relating to grievance and disciplinary procedures, working time arrangements, email and internet policies and dealing with absenteeism in the workplace. They also advise on the legitimacy of medical certificates.

Bargaining Council Matters
SEIFSA’s experts help to interpret and implement bargaining council collective agreements relating to:

  • Working conditions
  • Short-time
  • Retrenchments
  • Use of labour brokers
  • Pension and Provident Funds
  • Disability issues

We prepare exemption applications for companies from bargaining council agreements on:

  • Wage Increases
  • Leave Enhancement Pay

Job Grading
SEIFSA’s grading specialists visit member companies and grade employees’ jobs in accordance with bargaining council’s job grading structures.

Disciplinary enquiries
SEIFSA provides qualified and experienced experts to chair and run in-company disciplinary enquiries and appeals.

Legal Representative
SEIFSA provides Legal representation in the MEIBC, CCMA and Labour Courts

SEIFSA speaks for industry

Our senior IR staff is active in the formulation of employer bargaining strategies and tactics. We also participate directly in industry-wide negotiations with trade union representatives. SEIFSA negotiates all terms and conditions of the industry’s collective agreements – from wage increases, employment conditions and social security arrangements through to financial and administrative issues relating to bargaining council operations.

Corporate and Commercial Law Training and Advisory Services Including, but not limited to:

  • Advice and drafting of commercial contracts such as leases and agreements of purchase and sale, production, distribution, leases, sub-contracting etc
  • Advice in contractual disputes
  • Advice and guidance on corporate governance principles
  • Advice and guidance on business law principles
  • Advice and guidance on business rescue proceedings
  • Advice and guidance n Compromises
  • Advice and guidance on fundamental transactions and takeovers

The Industrial Relations and Legal services division now also offers retainer packages on all of the above issues.

Industrial Relations Workshops, also offered on an in-house basis

  • A – Z of the Metals and Engineering Industry Main Agreement workshop
  • Managing sick leave and absenteeism
  • Fair and effective discipline
  • Employment contracts and the Law
  • Understanding how to grade your scheduled employees
  • Retrenchments, Lay- offs and short-time
  • Effective Industrial Relations
  • Managing conflict and common problem areas effectively
  • Retrenchments, short-time and lay-offs

Legal services Workshops; also offered on an in-house basis

  • Chairing of disciplinary hearings: Doing it the right way
  • POPI Act
  • Managing incapacity and poor performance
  • Law of evidence
  • Business contracts and SLAs
  • Labour Law court processes
  • How To Tender Successfully, Untainted By Corruption – Beginner’s course
  • Key Aspects of Labour Law