employment law

Bowman Gilfillan’s employment law department was established in 1979 in response to the reform of South Africa’s labour legislation in that year. The reforms made provision for the recognition of black trade unions and for the adjudication of unfair labour practice disputes by the newly established Industrial Court.

In the early years of the Industrial Court’s existence, we were at the forefront of the development of the unfair labour practice jurisprudence. We represented clients in a number of cases that shaped the labour law dispensation at the time. In those years, our employment law department was also responsible for the human rights work of Bowman Gilfillan and we assisted numerous persons who were detained or charged under the security laws applicable at that time.

The employment law landscape in South Africa changed significantly during the 1990s with the introduction of employment equity and skills development legislation, the promulgation of the Labour Relations Act of 1995 as well as the coming into force of the 1997 Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Bowman Gilfillan has been extensively involved in this dynamic area of the law and we have, over the past three decades, developed into a leading corporate employment law department which advises major multinational corporations, major listed and non-listed corporations, parastatal bodies (such as airlines, local government institutions, regulatory bodies, tertiary education institutions, banks and development organisations), bargaining councils and employers’ organisations, and employees and trade unions.

Our employment law department comprises 12 partners in Johannesburg and three in Cape Town. The partners are supported by nine other qualified attorneys and several candidate attorneys. Collectively, this team of employment lawyers offers comprehensive, effective, progressive and innovative advice to a large and growing number of major clients in all aspects of employment law in South Africa including:

• Forensic Investigations;
• General Employment Law;
  • Arbitration and Mediation;
  • Collective Bargaining Issues and Strike Management;
  • Disciplinary investigations and enquires;
  • Due Diligence Exercises and Corporate Transactions;
  • Employment Contracts;
  • Employment Discrimination;
  • Employment Legislation;
  • Employment Litigation (Labour and High Court litigation);
  • Litigation: Alternative Dispute Resolution;
  • Policy development and drafting;
  • Public law employment issues;
  • Restructuring and retrenchment planning;
• Pension Law and Employee Benefits;
• Training, Seminars and Employment Law Updates;

Our department has since its inception been instrumental in the development of employment law jurisprudence. We are in a strong position to continue this tradition.

We are the exclusive South African representative of the Employment Law Alliance, the world’s largest and most important network of labour and employment lawyers.  Through the ELA, our firm has the ability to service our clients’ needs throughout South Africa, Africa and around the world.  For more information about the ELA, please visit www.employmentlawalliance.com