Retired Standard Bank adviser loses Labour Court appeal over contract renewal.
A retired financial adviser who worked for Standard Bank for nearly two decades has lost his attempt to have the Labour Court overturn a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) ruling that found he was not dismissed when the bank declined to renew his fixed-term contract after retirement.
Judge Zolashe Mzikazi Lallie dismissed an application brought by C Isreal. Isreal sought to review and set aside a CCMA arbitration award that found his employment relationship with Standard Bank Financial Consultancy had ended through the expiry of a fixed-term contract rather than a dismissal.
Isreal argued that the bank unfairly dismissed him for poor work performance after informing him in December 2019 that it would not renew his contract. He maintained that the decision followed the imposition of performance targets that he claimed were impossible to achieve and that he had expected his employment to continue.
The court heard that Isreal began working for Standard Bank as a financial adviser in January 2002 and remained a permanent employee until reaching the retirement age of 63 on 30 November 2016. After retirement, he continued working under a series of annual fixed-term contracts specifically designed for retired employees, referred to as pensioners' contracts.
