"The Common Law is … not what it used to be"*: Revisiting Recognition of a Constitutionally-Inspired Implied Duty of Fair Dealing in the Common Law Contract of Employment (Part 1)
Revisiting Recognition of a Constitutionally-Inspired Implied Duty of Fair Dealing in the Common Law Contract of Employment - Part 1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2018/v21i0a5129Keywords:
Common-law employment contract, labour legislation, good faith, fairness, constitutional development of the common law, right to fair labour practices, breach of employment contractAbstract
This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the recognition of an "implied duty of fair dealing" in the common-law employment contract. This piece will discuss such developments, will argue that such an implied duty still forms part of our law (despite apparent consensus in the literature that the SCA turned its back on such earlier judgments), will critically examine some of the arguments for and against the recognition of such a duty, and will then consider the issue within the broader context of the role of good faith and fairness in our general law of contract.
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References
Literature
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Case law
Bato Star Fishing (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2004 4 SA 490 (CC)
Boxer Superstores Mthatha v Mbenya 2007 5 SA 450 (SCA)
Chirwa v Transnet 2008 4 SA 367 (CC)
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Council for Scientific & Industrial Research v Fijen 1996 17 ILJ 18 (A)
Denel (Pty) Ltd v Vorster 2004 4 SA 481 (SCA)
Fedlife Assurance Ltd v Wolfaardt 2002 1 SA 49 (SCA)
Food and Allied Workers Union obo Gaoshubelwe v Pieman's Pantry (Pty) Limited 2018 5 BCLR 527 (CC)
Johnson v Unisys Ltd 2003 AC 518 (HL)
Jooste v Transnet Ltd t/a South African Airways 1995 16 ILJ 629 (LAC)
KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority v Wasa 2016 37 ILJ 2581 (LAC)
Lufuno Mphaphuli & Associates (Pty) Ltd v Andrews 2009 4 SA 529 (CC)
Makhanya v University of Zululand 2009 30 ILJ 1539 (SCA)
Malik v Bank of Credit and Commerce SA 1998 AC 20 (HL)
Manamela v Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, Limpopo Province (CJHB) unreported case number 1886/2013 of 5 September 2013
Mogothle v Premier of the Northwest Province 2009 30 ILJ 605 (LC)
Mohlaka v Minister of Finance 2009 30 ILJ 622 (LC)
Murray v Minister of Defence 2009 3 SA 130 (SCA)
Nakin v MEC Department of Education, Eastern Cape Province 2008 6 SA 320 (Ck)
Old Mutual Life Assurance Co SA Ltd v Gumbi 2007 5 SA 552 (SCA)
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SA Maritime Safety Authority v McKenzie 2010 3 SA 601 (SCA)
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Legislation
Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Constitution Seventeenth Amendment Act of 2012
Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
BCEA Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
CCMA Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration
EEA Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
ILJ Industrial Law Journal
ILJ (UK) Industrial Law Journal (United Kingdom)
LRA Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
PAJA Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000
PELJ Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal
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Copyright (c) 2018 Andre Louw
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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