{"id":31527,"date":"2026-08-28T11:54:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/?p=31527"},"modified":"2026-08-28T11:54:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T11:54:43","slug":"how-to-take-a-workplace-dispute-to-the-ccma-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/?p=31527","title":{"rendered":"How to Take a Workplace Dispute to the CCMA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Strict Statutory Deadlines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unfair Dismissal:<\/strong> Strictly <strong>30 calendar days<\/strong> from the date of your dismissal or final notice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unfair Labour Practice:<\/strong> <strong>90 calendar days<\/strong> (e.g., unfair suspension, demotion, failure to promote).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unfair Discrimination \/ Sexual Harassment:<\/strong> <strong>6 months<\/strong> from the incident.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Missed the Deadline?<\/strong> You must file an <strong>Application for Condonation<\/strong> (attaching an affidavit explaining the reason for the delay, length of delay, and your prospects of success). Without condonation, late referrals are rejected automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Step-by-Step Filing Using LRA Form 7.11<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Serve the Employer First (Mandatory):<\/strong> Send a copy of the completed <strong>LRA Form 7.11<\/strong> to your employer via email, registered post, fax, or hand delivery. Save proof of delivery (e.g., email delivery receipt or signed acknowledgment).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option A: Online Filing (Fastest &amp; Recommended):<\/strong> Submit via the CCMA e-Referral portal at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/cms.ccma.org.za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cms.ccma.org.za<\/a> or the CCMA Mobile App. Upload your form and proof of service.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Option B: Manual Submission:<\/strong> Deliver or email the form and proof of service directly to your local regional CCMA office.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Conciliation vs. Arbitration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Stage 1: Conciliation<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Stage 2: Arbitration<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Purpose<\/strong><\/td><td>Informal settlement meeting to reach agreement<\/td><td>Formal hearing where a binding legal ruling is made<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Commissioner Role<\/strong><\/td><td>Neutral mediator (facilitates agreement)<\/td><td>Adjudicator \/ Judge-like figure (decides outcome)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Nature<\/strong><\/td><td>Without prejudice (off-the-record discussion)<\/td><td>Formal legal proceeding (sworn testimony, evidence)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Legal Reps<\/strong><\/td><td>Legal practitioners <strong>not allowed<\/strong><\/td><td>Allowed in most cases (restricted in some misconduct cases)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Outcome<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Settlement Agreement<\/strong> or Certificate of Outcome<\/td><td>Legally binding <strong>Arbitration Award<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note on Con-Arb:<\/strong> Many cases are scheduled as combined <em>Con-Arb<\/em>. If Conciliation fails, Arbitration starts immediately unless you file a written objection at least <strong>7 days prior<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. What to Bring on the Day of Your Hearing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Identification:<\/strong> South African ID (Smart Card \/ Green Book) or Passport.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Official Papers:<\/strong> CCMA Notice of Set Down (hearing notice) &amp; Case reference number.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Employment Evidence:<\/strong> Contract, payslips, bank statements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dispute Documents:<\/strong> Notice of dismissal\/charge sheet, warnings, letter of resignation\/termination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supporting Proof:<\/strong> Printed emails, WhatsApp messages, call logs, photographs, medical certificates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Witnesses:<\/strong> Direct eye\/ear witnesses available to testify under oath.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Key Mistakes to Avoid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Failing to serve the employer first<\/strong> before lodging at the CCMA.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arriving late or missing the hearing<\/strong> (missing Arbitration leads to dismissal of your case).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Failing to file a Condonation Application<\/strong> when submitting after the 30-day mark.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Relying on hearsay evidence<\/strong> instead of direct testimony or primary documents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Not knowing your desired remedy<\/strong> (Reinstatement, Re-employment, or Compensation).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Strict Statutory Deadlines 2. Step-by-Step Filing Using LRA Form 7.11 3. Conciliation vs. Arbitration Feature Stage 1: Conciliation Stage 2: Arbitration Purpose Informal settlement meeting to reach agreement Formal hearing where a binding legal ruling is made Commissioner Role Neutral mediator (facilitates agreement) Adjudicator \/ Judge-like figure (decides outcome) Nature Without prejudice (off-the-record discussion) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_25071586472533619_109551237394069":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[{"account":"facebook_25071586472533619_109551237394069","service":"facebook","timestamp":1787918117,"status":"success"}],"rop_publish_now_status":"done","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[649],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-how-to-guide"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31529,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31527\/revisions\/31529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricansun.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}