Labour Courts

The Labour Court and the Labour Appeal Court are specialist courts established under the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, with the same status as the High Court. The Labour Court has exclusive jurisdiction over most disputes arising from South African employment law - unfair dismissal reviews and appeals from CCMA arbitration awards, unfair labour practice disputes, strike and lockout interdicts, and employment equity and collective bargaining matters. The Labour Appeal Court hears appeals from the Labour Court's own decisions.

The Labour Court sits in four registries - Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha - sharing premises and staff with the Labour Appeal Court, which has a single, Johannesburg-based registry for the whole country. Most individual employees reach the labour court system by first referring a dispute to the CCMA (or the relevant bargaining council); the Labour Court's role is largely reviewing or hearing appeals from that process, not a first port of call for a new workplace dispute.

Judges of the Labour Court hold the same rank as High Court judges, and a Labour Court judgment carries the same weight and enforceability as one from any High Court division. Beyond individual disputes, the Labour Court also hears collective labour matters - certifying or refusing to certify bargaining council agreements as binding, interdicting unprotected strikes and lockouts, and deciding organisational rights disputes between unions and employers.

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