LETTER: Cadre deployment breaches labour laws

The very concept of cadre deployment breaches various pieces of legislation in SA (“DA plans court case to find out Ramaphosa’s role in cadre deployment”, January 12).

From a labour law point of view it breaches the Labour Relations Act and a whole host of other regulations. In theory, every other applicant for all the state jobs that were advertised and then given illegally to cadre deployees would have a claim for an unfair labour practice, and possibly even unfair discrimination.

All such applicants should consider going to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation & Arbitration by completing an LRA 7.11 application form.

These applicants have been illegally treated as they were deemed unacceptable for the position purely because they were not even considered due to cadre deployment.

Everyone reading this should be aware, and if they were an applicant for a position and that position has been mentioned in the cadre deployment minutes, they have automatically got a claim against the employer. Most of the positions were within local, provincial or national government, which become the respondent in these claims.

As a labour lawyer I strongly suggest that they move as quickly as possible to lodge these claims since they have now become aware of this unfair labour practice and the clock has started ticking. I believe the various government departments will have to pay dearly for this duplicitous behaviour.

Michael Bagraim, MP 
DA deputy shadow employment & labour minister

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