Industrial Relations
Our IR Change panel of accredited CCMA Senior Commissioners is ideally suited for chairing internal disciplinary enquiries and incapacity hearings at the workplace – ensuring integrity of the process and the outcome.
IR Change panelists bring a wealth of experience and professional credibility to managing disciplinary processes – these factors assist to build party trust in the enquiry process and the outcome – resulting in substantially reduced rates of referral to the CCMA for clients.
Panelists will also broker “mutual separation agreements” between parties with their consent should they seek expedited resolution and binding closure on a matter.
We specialise in:
- Matters involving senior managers, directors or leaders
- Legally complex or politically sensitive workplace matters
- Public interest matters
Our Chairperson Solutions is supported by a friendly and efficient case management system designed to deliver preferred choice of panelist to the parties, speedy set down of a matter and prompt rendering of a final outcome. Feel free to contact Cara for all your case management requirements.
We Preside.
Our case initiation service is designed to provide clients with the best legal advice and initiation support required to win legally complex or challenging workplace disciplinary matters.
The costs of losing important cases through poor strategy and preparation for a matter can be significant for parties – both financially and in terms of compromised workplace relations.
As accredited CCMA Senior Commissioners our panelists are best suited to provide critical insight and advice as to how best a workplace disciplinary matter should be handled.
We will assist and support clients with any of the following services:
- Framing charges correctly
- Reviewing of relevant case law and precedent
- Preparing any bundles of evidence and argument for the enquiry
- Prepping of witnesses
- Initiating the case at the enquiry.
We Initiate.
Our investigators manage complex and sensitive independent investigations into allegations of misconduct in the workplace including fraud and corruption, sexual harassment and discrimination, misuse of authority and violations of workplace policy amongst others. We provide detailed reports including discussion of facts, findings and recommendations which provide an effective tool for employers to use to make informed and sometimes hard employment decisions.
We investigate.
We provide labour relations advice covering labour law, collective bargaining, policy formulation and labour relations best practice strategies for harmonious and productive workplaces.
We give advice on a variety of workplace issues including:
- Unfair discrimination, including sexual harassment
- Employment Equity
- Restructuring and retrenchment consultations
- Compliance with the BCEA, OHSA and Bargaining Council Main Agreements
- Preparation for ethical trade audits.
As part of Labour Relations Solutions, we specialise in drafting of employment contracts and human resources policies to suit your unique requirements.
We Advise.
We facilitate conversations between management and labour stakeholders that contribute to changed mindsets, improved communication and enhanced performance within the workplace.
We specialize in facilitating:
- Relationship Building Initiatives (RBI’s) for parties who seek a change in workplace relations
- Collective Agreements over remuneration and benefits, policies and procedures
- Any “without prejudice” discussions between parties who seek early closure and resolution of a matter by mutual and binding agreement.
We Facilitate.
We offer a range of Labour Related Training Courses for workplace stakeholders. Our courses include:
- Initiating and chairing disciplinary enquiries for managers
- Preparing evidence in disciplinary enquiries and arbitrations
- Effective negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Understanding the LRA and CCMA processes
- Our RBI one or two-day relationship change program
Our courses are:
- Aligned and designed to client needs
- Structured with a methodology that is experiential, participative and that allows for the effective transfer of learning to the workplace
- Skills-based, fun and informative
We Empower.
Meet the Team
Our panelist team is comprised of some of the very best CCMA accredited Senior Commissioners and draws on their deep experience and insight - honed over many years of service in the CCMA and in the Private and Public sector Bargaining Councils. Our panelists bring a wealth of experience, expertise and integrity directly to workplace disciplinary and performance processes - ensuring integrity of the process and integrity of the outcome. In addition to panelists profiled below - we have dedicated senior panelists in all major provinces and regions of South Africa - please feel free to contact Cara for more information in this regard.
Arthi Singh-Bhoopchand
Arthi is an attorney specialising in labour and family law. She is a part time Commissioner for the CCMA and also serves on the panels of various bargaining councils in both the public and private sector. She has presided over numerous conciliation and arbitration processes within our statutory bodies and is equally adept at chairing disciplinary and performance enquiries within the workplace.
Bella Goldman
Bella is an accredited Senior CCMA and is a panelist on public sector and private sector bargaining councils. She has a wealth of experience in all aspects of the LRA and has worked in both the private and public sectors. Bella specialises in chairing disciplinary and appeal hearings, mediating and facilitating the resolution of labour disputes, training of labour relations processes and advising on and formulating human resource policies and procedures.
Craig Bosch
Craig started his career as an academic and later taught labour law and alternative dispute resolution at final year and postgraduate levels. Craig became a Commissioner at the CCMA in 2005 and was appointed as a Senior Commissioner in 2008. He is a panelist on many of the bargaining councils and is also an accomplished trainer and facilitator of programs. In 2013 Craig did his pupillage at the Cape Bar and became a practicing advocate in January 2014.
Dave Wilson
Dave has acquired specialist knowledge and skill within the petroleum industry where he has worked in a senior management position of both legal services and industrial relations. He later served as a Senior Commissioner of the CCMA after running his own law practice. Dave is a specialist arbitrator in demarcation and essential service disputes. He also sits as an arbitrator for the Statutory Council for the Printing, Newspaper and Packaging Industries. Dave is a consummate trainer and has developed training materials for the CCMA across the spectrum of the labour laws.
Elviso Adams
Elviso has been a Part time Commissioner at the CCMA for many years and also serves on the panels of numerous Bargaining Councils. Elviso has also served in the Manufacturing Environment for over a decade where he held various technical positions on the Production Floor before moving to Human Resources. He is a Training Facilitator and registered Assessor and Moderator in both Technical Qualifications as well as Labour Relations. Elviso has specialist skills in the areas of advice on labour relations strategy formulation, chairing hearings and initiating at disciplinary processes. Elviso has also conducted many internal workplace investigations as a result of his experience in HR.
Guy Bloch
Guy is a self-employed labour consultant, a part-time accredited CCMA Commissioner and a panelist with various bargaining councils. His previous work experience has been mostly in corporate, initially running private hospitals. He has both practical operational experience (eg as an operations and then depot manager) and HR and IR background and experience. He has a wide range of labour relations and conflict resolution experience in various sectors.
Lameesah Jooma
Lameesah Jooma is a Commissioner of the CCMA having been appointed to the institution in 2010. Lameesah also currently serves on several private sector Bargaining Councils. Lameesah has worked extensively in the HR, Training and Development disciplines of the labour market having initiated her career as a shop steward for a large freight logistics and shipping company where she was involved in heading up national negotiations. Subsequent to this she worked in labour organisations and was responsible primarily for the Maritime and Road Passenger Service industries. She then progressed to working for the Maritime Industries Training Board and was responsible for the accreditation of all training providers within the industry. Before joining the CCMA Lameesah worked as an ethical auditor for a private ethical auditing company.
Lillian Rachael Goredema
Lillian has garnered extensive litigation skills over the years as an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa and has until recently run her own law firm having commenced practicing law in 1985. She has worked as a Proctor at the University of the Western Cape and has also served as a Legal Counsellor at the University of Cape Town. Lillian currently serves as a commissioner at the CCMA conducting conciliation and arbitration processes. She is also a panelist on several Bargaining Councils in the private and public sectors.
Marieke Van Rooyen
Marieke is a practising attorney with 18 years’ experience. In her studies she specialised in International Commercial Arbitration, Constitutional Law and Labour Law. She is a long-serving Senior Commissioner of the CCMA and also serves on the panels of various Bargaining Councils. She is a specialist in discrimination matters, including sexual harassment. With a keen interest in alternative dispute resolution, she is a trained mediator (family, labour and commercial disputes). She is an accredited skills assessor and learning facilitator. Marieke is available for investigations, chairing of disciplinary enquiries, mediations, facilitation and arbitrations.
Melwyn Nash
Melwyn is currently a practicing attorney and serves as a part time Commissioner at the CCMA and on various Bargaining Councils – both private and public. Melwyn has extensive experience in presiding over various processes including conciliations, mediations and arbitrations. In addition he has developed substantail experience in conducting worklace disciplinary inquiries. Melwyn has also worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team conducting forensic investigations in commercial matters and had particular skills in this area of forensics.
Michael Mpumelelo Marawu
Michael is an accredited CCMA Part-time Commissioner and serves as a panelist on various bargaining councils. Michael also presides as a chairperson of disciplinary hearings with several impressive organisations in the Cape. Having worked extensively in human resource management and labour relations (in the financial and commercial farming sectors) prior to becoming a CCMA commissioner, Michael is now a specialist mediator, facilitator and trainer. He has arbitrated many matters within the labour market and has an impressive record of delivering outcomes of the highest standard. Michael has a warm engaging disposition and is ideally suited to facilitating multi stakeholder processes and mediating conflicts in an amicable and even-handed manner.
Miles Hartford
Miles has served as a Senior Commissioner of the CCMA and is a seasoned mediator, facilitator, trainer and strategist. He is committed to the idea that through the power of conversation parties can forge new and changed relations in their working environment. Miles is an expert facilitator of social dialogue and RBI processes and is a founding member of IR Change.
Natasha Abrahams
Natasha has an impressive career history which commenced with initial work in the Department of Labour where was engaged in Labour Relations and Employment Sevices. Subsequently Natasha worked in a full time Commissioner capacity at the CCMA and is now currently a Part Time Commissioner. She also serves on several private and public sector Bargaining Councils. Natasha is a expert in managing and facilitating processes with parties engaged in S189 and S189(A) retrenchment challenges in the workplace. She is a seasoned arbitrator, trainer and facilitator and is ideally positioned to give any up to date advice on labour relations matters in the workplace.
Orlando Moses
Orlando is an admitted attorney and previously served in the labour movement as an official. He was also employed in the Public Service where he facilitated Labour Relations training for stakeholders, initiated and chaired disciplinary hearings; as well as preparing and providing legal opinions to various provincial government departments within the Western Cape. He is currently a part-time commissioner at the CCMA and is serving as a panelist on various Bargaining Councils.
Phil Sack
Philip has over 30 years’ experience as a senior Employee Relations Manager of a major financial services company within SA. He recently graduated with distinction from the University of Stellenbosch in Labour Dispute Resolution Program, and is now a practicing part time CCMA Commissioner. Phil has extensive experience and skill in drafting charges and initiating a case in disciplinary matters and is the ideal panelist to assist and advise employers with case preparation and initiation tasks – particularly in the financial services sector where he has acquired deep insight and understanding of the sector, its culture and operations.
Paul Benjamin
Paul has been described as one of the “senior statesman” of South African labour. He has recently relocated to Cape Town where he continues to practice as an attorney. He is an experienced arbitrator and mediator with extensive IMSSA training. He has worked closely with the CCMA and bargaining councils on developing their rules and procedures for dispute resolution. He has been involved in the resolution of a number of national industrial disputes and has worked with trade unions, employers and government on a wide range of issues include occupational health and safety, employment equity, skills development and BBBEE. Paul has been an acting judge of the Labour Court on several occasions. He has written widely on Labour law and has been a Professor at both UCT and Wits University.
Piet Van Staden
Piet is a part time Senior Commissioner of the CCMA and is one of the most experienced panelists on the IR Change Panel having served at the CCMA since inception. Piet is a seasoned arbitrator, enquiry chairperson, investigator and trainer and has co-authored the book - Labour Law Through the Cases. Piet currently runs his own private practice.
Reza Slamang
Reza is a practising attorney, specialising in Employment & Labour Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). He was appointed as a part-time CCMA Commissioner in January 2000 and currently serves on both private and public sector Bargaining Councils. Riza is accredited by the CCMA to arbitrate disputes relating to Labour Brokers (and other atypical forms of employment) as well as Discrimination matters, including sexual harassment and disputes of equal pay for work of equal value. He is also accredited by the Law Society of South Africa to mediate commercial disputes, including Court-Annexed civil mediation. He is an accredited presiding officer of the Western Cape Department of Education (dealing with sensitive matters involving children) and various State entities and Corporates. Riza has worked as a senior human resources practitioner of a major financial services company and within local government where he was responsible, inter alia, for complex investigations, hearings, corporate restructuring, performance management, organisational rights and collective bargaining.
Sarah Christie
Sarah is a part-time Senior Commissioner of the CCMA and sits on a number of bargaining council panels. She is an attorney on the non-practicing roll. She is a judge on the Appeals Boards of the European Space Agency, EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) and a former judge on the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. She formerly chaired the Joint Appeals Board of the Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) of the United Nations. She has been a consultant to the IMF, WHO, UN and EBRD on their internal justice and dispute resolution systems.
Sean Goldschmidt
Sean is a part time CCMA Commissioner and a panelist with various bargaining councils. He has acquired experience in both the trade union as well as management fields, which has deepened his understanding of the dynamics of labour relations and dispute resolution. He has been involved in arbitrating matters for the past 10 years, and has 15 years’ experience in chairing disciplinary hearings. He also has experience in presenting training courses related to the LRA, and has assisted parties in preparing cases for presentation at the CCMA.
Ursula Bulbring
Ursula is an independent arbitrator and mediator, arbitrating regularly for the CCMA and several public sector bargaining councils. Ursula has extensive experience across a range of private and public sectors in arbitrating unfair dismissals, severance pay, organisational rights, interpretation of collective agreements, demarcation and unfair labour practices. Ursula has served in private practice as an attorney and in the CCMA as a Senior Commissioner.
Winnie Everett
Winnie is a part-time Senior Commissioner of the CCMA. Winnie has been a commissioner since inception of the CCMA and she has vast experience as a mediator, arbitrator, trainer and facilitator. Winnie has also acted as a judge of the Labour Court of South Africa and she is co-author of two books: Labour Law Through the Cases and The Conciliation and Arbitration Handbook, both published by LexisNexis. Winnie has specialist knowledge in unfair dismissals, discrimination, including sexual harassment, and retrenchment matters.