Employees also have their own perceptions of fairness and of procedural justice but these perceptions may differ vastly from the perceptions held by their employers. One of the most complex issues, and also one of the most difficult challenges in the workplace, is to strike an appropriate balance between the interpretations and perceptions of the concept of fairness held by employers, employees and the state.


Employees’ perceptions on fairness


and procedural justice have been associated with more frequent positive emotions, such as happiness. Perceptions of procedural justice are influenced by factors that go beyond the formal procedures used to resolve disputes. If employees feel that they have been treated with dignity and respect during the disciplinary process and if an explanation has been given for the disciplinary action that has been taken the employees are more likely to accept the outcome even though they may have been dismissed.


Are the principles of organisational justice reflected in South African dismissal law? With the adoption of the South African Labour Relations Act in 1995 and the new Constitution in 1996, specific requirements for disciplinary enquiries were laid down which resulted in an adaptation of the common law to include the right to a disciplinary enquiry before a dismissal. It is apparent that the principles of organisational justice are reflected in South African dismissal law and can also be found in the judgements of the


22 Management Today | January 2012


Labour Court and the Constitutional Court. However it is up to employers to incorporate these principles in their disciplinary codes and procedures appropriately and not to rely on strict formalistic procedures.


How can the principles of organisational justice assist employers in resolving dismissal disputes, without being hindered by rigid and inflexible disciplinary procedures? Fairness and organisational justice in the workplace will contribute towards labour peace, harmony and could ultimately result in an increase in productivity. To become successful in business, it is no longer sufficient to have the ability to sell a product at a profit. For any businessperson, employer or organisation to survive in the long term a wide variety of skills, knowledge and expertise is required.


Conclusions and recommendations Organisational justice as a concept dealing with the perceptions of fairness can be a management tool that can be of great assistance in achieving fairness in the workplace. Almost every single course on labour relations that is offered by private training institutions including training at tertiary level, fails to include a module on the concept of organisational justice. It is apparent that, for many years the training emphasis has been placed on procedural issues. This included modules on grievance handling and grievance procedures, negotiation tactics and skills, retrenchment procedures, dismissal procedures, dispute resolution procedures, strike handling and the like. It was believed that employers would be able to


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114