Court stops university's retrenchment process amidst labour disputes with employee Fahim Docrat

A Cape Town Labour Court judge granted an urgent interim interdict to prevent the University of Cape Town (UCT) from continuing with a Section 189 Labour Relations Act (LRA) consultation process.

A labour court judge granted an urgent interim interdict to prevent the University of Cape Town (UCT) from continuing with a Section 189 Labour Relations Act (LRA) consultation process that could potentially lead to an employee’s retrenchment or demotion.

This decision emerged after UCT employee Fahim Docrat brought an urgent application in the Cape Town Labour Court for an interim order interdicting and restraining UCT from continuing with the process pending the finalisation of trial proceedings currently before the court.

According to the court papers, the trial proceedings relate to alleged unfair labour practices involving an occupational detriment, in contravention of the Protected Disclosures Act (PDA) on account of the employee having made a protected disclosure as defined in that PDA.

UCT opposes the application.