scholarly journals "The Common Law is … not what it used to be"*: Revisiting Recognition of a Constitutionally-Inspired Implied Duty of Fair Dealing in the Common Law Contract of Employment (Part 2)

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Andre Louw
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Employment Contract ◽  
Fair Dealing ◽  
General Law ◽  
Contract Of Employment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Labour Legislation ◽  
Court Of Appeal

This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the recognition of an "implied duty of fair dealing" in the common-law employment contract. This piece will discuss such developments, will argue that such an implied duty still forms part of our law (despite the apparent consensus in the literature that the SCA turned its back on such earlier judgments), will critically examine some of the arguments for and against the recognition of such a duty, and will then consider the issue within the broader context of the role of good faith and fairness in our general law of contract.    

scholarly journals "The Common Law is … not what it used to be"*: Revisiting Recognition of a Constitutionally-Inspired Implied Duty of Fair Dealing in the Common Law Contract of Employment (Part 3)

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-53
Author(s):  
Andre Louw
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Employment Contract ◽  
Fair Dealing ◽  
General Law ◽  
Contract Of Employment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Labour Legislation ◽  
Court Of Appeal

This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the recognition of an "implied duty of fair dealing" in the common-law employment contract. This piece will discuss such developments, will argue that such an implied duty still forms part of our law (despite the apparent consensus in the literature that the SCA turned its back on such earlier judgments), will critically examine some of the arguments for and against the recognition of such a duty, and will then consider the issue within the broader context of the role of good faith and fairness in our general law of contract.    

scholarly journals "The Common Law is … not what it used to be"*: Revisiting Recognition of a Constitutionally-Inspired Implied Duty of Fair Dealing in the Common Law Contract of Employment (Part 1)

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Andre Louw
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Employment Contract ◽  
Fair Dealing ◽  
General Law ◽  
Contract Of Employment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Labour Legislation ◽  
Court Of Appeal

This piece, which is in three parts, will revisit the importation of fairness into the employment contract (outside and independent of the fairness-based provisions of our labour legislation) by a line of Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgments during the 2000s. This process culminated in the recognition of an "implied duty of fair dealing" in the common-law employment contract. This piece will discuss such developments, will argue that such an implied duty still forms part of our law (despite apparent consensus in the literature that the SCA turned its back on such earlier judgments), will critically examine some of the arguments for and against the recognition of such a duty, and will then consider the issue within the broader context of the role of good faith and fairness in our general law of contract.    

The King Reports and the common law in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-172
Author(s):  
J. Michael Judin
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Bill Of Rights ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Task Team ◽  
The Common ◽  
Court Of Appeal

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the King Reports and Codes and the development of South Africa’s common law. The role of developing the common law is explicitly recognised in the Constitution, as is the obligation to give effect to the spirit, purport and objects of the Bill of Rights. With decisions of the Supreme Court of Appeal being based on the King Code, the King Code is now an integral part of South Africa’s common law. Design/methodology/approach When the task team drafting King IV commenced their work, one of the important issues raised with Mervyn King, as Chairman, was the challenge to ensure that King IV was aligned to the now firmly entrenched common law principles taken from King I, King II and King III. It is believed that this has been achieved and it is hoped that King IV (and the subsequent King Reports that will inevitably follow because the corporate milieu keeps changing) continues to enrich South Africa’s common law. Findings The King Reports and Codes have been made part of South Africa’s common law. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study the King Report and Code, as it relates to South Africa’s common law.

7. The Variation, Suspension, and Future of the Personal Employment Contract

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Cabrelli
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Market Conditions ◽  
Employment Contract ◽  
The Future ◽  
Contract Of Employment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Labour Flexibility

This chapter first examines the common law rules regulating the variation of the terms of the contract of employment. It focuses on the situation where the employer seeks to unilaterally modify the terms of the employment contract, for instance in light of modern pressures on management to demand greater labour flexibility in order to adapt to changing market conditions. The chapter then moves on to address the ability of the employer to suspend the contract of employment, for instance where the employer suffers a downturn in demand for its products or services, or where an employee may be subject to disciplinary proceedings. Finally, it considers the future trajectory of the common law content of the personal contract of employment.

scholarly journals Setting aside arbitral awards in Singapore: due process and good faith obligations

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-440
Author(s):  
Mark Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Rational Basis ◽  
Robust Approach ◽  
Court Of Appeal

Abstract The Singapore Court of Appeal in CMNC v Jaguar Energy has offered clarification on what it identified as an ‘important area of arbitration law’: ie the correct approach to alleged violations of due process by tribunals in their management of the arbitral procedure. The case involved setting aside proceedings in the context of a complex dispute further complicated by the parties’ prior agreement for an expedited procedure. The Court of Appeal judgment takes a robust approach towards alleged due process violations. It emphasizes that the matter must be assessed according to a test of reasonableness and fairness with careful reference to the circumstances, and that courts should be cautious about interfering with a tribunal’s decision-making where there is a rational basis for those decisions. But CMNC v Jaguar Energy is notable for another reason: the presumption by the judge at first instance that there was implied into the arbitration agreement an obligation to arbitrate in good faith. That point may be of particular interest to those from common law jurisdictions where a more general debate over the role of good faith obligations in commercial contracts persists.

scholarly journals SHOULD REFUSAL TO WORK FOLLOWING BREACH OF CONTRACT BY THE EMPLOYER REALLY BE A STRIKE? National Union of Mineworkers on behalf of Employees v Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (2011) 32 ILJ 2104 (LAC)

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanduxolo Qotoyi
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Employment Relationship ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Breach Of Contract ◽  
National Union ◽  
Labour Relations ◽  
Appeal Court ◽  
Contract Of Employment ◽  
The Common ◽  
Labour Legislation

The employment relationship is by its very nature premised on the foundation of inherent inequality between the employer and the employee. The employer by virtue of the resources at its disposal is in a stronger position than the employee. One of the strong criticisms levelled against the common law has always been its indifference to this unequal division of power. The common law tends to deal with a contract of employment on the basis that it is an agreement entered into voluntarily and on equal footing bythe employer and the employee. Unsurprisingly, the common law regards terms that regulate the employment relationship as being freely entered into by the contracting parties. This assumption overlooks the inherent inequality that characterizes the employment relationship. It is on account of this assumption that the common law can be mostly associated with unfairness when it comes to the employment relationship. Nowhere is this assumption clearer than in cases of dismissal. In relation to dismissal all that the common law demands is that the dismissal must be lawful. This requirement is easily met if the employer merely provides the employee with a notice of the dismissal. Under the common law there is no mention of fairness as a requirement for a dismissal. In order to address the deficiencies of the common law, the legislature has enacted labour legislation like the Labour Relations Act (66 of 1995, hereinafter “the LRA”) which seeks to bring in some equilibrium in the employment relationship. It must also be said that the LRA provides partiesinvolved in the employment relationship with a framework within which employment issues must be addressed. This has resulted in a situation where in some instances there is a collision between the common law and the LRA. The critical question that emerges is whether the rights and remedies of the employees in the event of a breach of contract must be exclusively determined within the framework of the LRA. If the answer is in the affirmative then it means that the common law has lost some of its relevance in employment issues. This case note seeks to analyse the tension between the common law and the LRA in the context of employees withholding their labour on account of a breach of contract by the employer. It also seeks to analyse the implications of the approach adopted by the Labour Appeal Court in National Union of Mine Workers on behalf of Employees v Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration ((2011) 32 ILJ 2104 (LAC)).

scholarly journals The Contractual Principle of Good Faith and the Duty of Honesty in Bhasin v. Hrynew

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon O'Byrne ◽  
Ronnie Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Contracting Out ◽  
Commercial Code ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
American Law ◽  
The Common

This article explores the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2014 decision in Bhasin v. Hrynew. This includes an assessment of the new duty of honesty in contractual performance and the newly identified organizing principle of good faith. The authors also discuss contracting out of the duty of honesty — which Bhasin itself raises as a possibility — by assessing both Canadian and American law on point, including the Uniform Commercial Code. The article concludes that Bhasin’s largest and most lasting contribution is likely in how it expressly legitimates and defends the role of good faith in the common law of contract.

The principle of good faith in the performance of contractual obligations under the common law of Canada and the law of Quebec

2018 ◽  
pp. 86-93
Author(s):  
D. S. Alyakin
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Civil Law ◽  
Good Faith ◽  
Supreme Court Of Canada ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Legal Method ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Law ◽  
Contractual Obligations

Introduction. In the paper, the author analyzes the principle of good faith in contractual performance under the common law of Canada and carry out a legal analysis of one of the key judicial precedents that is in relation to the designated area and that was adopted by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2014, i.e. Bhasin v. Hrynew case. The study is focused on the principle of good faith contractual performance under the law of the Canadian province of Quebec as well.Materials and methods. The material for the study consists of the judicial precedents of Canadian courts as well as the papers of foreign and Russian researchers in the field of civil law. The methodological basis of research comprises general scientific methods of cognition (analysis, synthesis, analogy) as well as specific ones, i.e. the comparative legal method, the formal logical method, the systematic method, methods of structure and function and the method of interpretation.Results. The author conducts a detailed analysis of Bhasin v. Hrynew case and determines the role of this precedent in the common law of Canada as well as the criteria for identifying the principle and a duty of good faith contractual performance. The author also analyzes the principle of good faith under the law of Quebec, i.e. the relevant jurisprudence and the codification of this principle in the legislation of Quebec.Discussion and conclusion. The distinction of the principle of good faith in the performance of contractual obligations as a freestanding principle of Canada’s common law is justified. The Bhasin v. Hrynew case is a vivid illustration of the growing role of the principle of good faith in the countries of the common law tradition. Furthermore, the convergence of Canada’s common law and the law of the province of Quebec, the only one among ten provinces and three territories of Canada that clearly adheres to civil law tradition, is an impact on this precedent.

MINGLING THE WATERS

2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Polden
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Full Understanding ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Common ◽  
Court Of Appeal ◽  
Formative Years

Views about the nature and extent of the “fusion” effected by the Judicature Acts frequently focus narrowly on those cases which determined the doctrinal position, with insufficient regard for the accompanying changes to practice, procedure and structures.This article examines the means by which the promoters of the legislation and other interested parties sought to promote or restrain its formidable fusionist potential. It explores the use of cross-jurisdictional appointments to infuse equity into the common law divisions; the successive changes to the membership and working arrangements of the court of appeal; and the short-lived experiment of sending Chancery and appellate judges on circuit. It suggests that a more detailed examination of the effect of these structures and the role of individual judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature in its formative years is needed for a full understanding of the limited fusion that emerged.

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