There is a certain misunderstanding in the Labour Market concerning the possibility of not paying labour union fees or choosing arbitrarily a labour union, disregarding the labour union area and even collective wage agreements.
In accordance with Act 55 of 1980 employers are obligated to withhold a fee from employees’ salaries to be paid to a particular labour union, which has entered into a collective wage agreement concerning the employee’s profession. The employer is also obligated by law to pay fees to that particular labour union for the Educational Fund, Sick Fund and Leave Fund.
DOES ONE HAVE A CHOICE WHICH LABOUR UNION THEIR FEES ARE PAID TO?
What is the deciding factor concerning which labour union your fees are paid to, is the profession you work in and the labour union area where the employee’s job is. Labour unions enter into collective wage agreements concerning particular professions. Therefore, the employee pays his fees to the labour union that belongs to that particular labour union area, which has entered into a collective wage agreement concerning that particular profession the employee works in.
CAN THE EMPLOYER DECIDE WHICH LABOUR UNION TO PAY THE FEES TO?
The employer is obliged to abide by the rules in force in the Labour Market and cannot decide for the employee which labour union to pay the fees to. In case of two labour unions having entered into a collective wage agreement concerning the same professions and in the same area, the employee can decide on his own which labour union to choose on signing his contract of employment.
WHY DO WE PAY LABOUR UNION FEES?
