In this Act, unless the context otherwise indicates—

"area"

includes any number of areas, whether or not contiguous;

"auditor"

means any person who is registered to practise in the Republic as a public accountant and auditor;

"bargaining council"

means a bargaining council referred to in section 27 and includes, in relation to the public service, the bargaining councils referred to in section 35;

"Basic Conditions of Employment Act"

means the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. 75 of 1997);

[Definition substituted by section 54(a) of Act No. 12 of 2002]

"code of good practice"

means a code of practice issued by NEDLAC in terms of section 203(1) of this Act;

"collective agreement"

means a written agreement concerning terms and conditions of employment or any other matter of mutual interest concluded by one or more registered trade unions, on the one hand and, on the other hand—

"Commission"

means the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration established by section 112;

[Definition inserted by section 42(a) of Act No. 6 of 2014]

"council"

includes a bargaining council and a statutory council;

"director"

means the director of the Commission appointed in terms of section 118(1)and includes any acting director appointed in terms of section 119;

"dismissal"

means dismissal as defined in section 186;

""dispute"

includes an alleged dispute;

"employee" 54

means—

and "employed" and "employment" have meanings corresponding to that of "employee";

""employers" organisation"

means any number of employers associated together for the purpose, whether by itself or with other purposes, of regulating relations between employers and employees or trade unions;

"employment law"

includes this Act, any other Act the administration of which has been assigned to the Minister, and any of the following Acts:

[Paragraph (a) substituted by section 42(b) of Act No. 6 of 2014]

[Paragraph (f) inserted by section 42(c) of Act No. 6 of 2014]

[Definition inserted by section 54(b) of Act No. 12 of 2002]

""essential service"

means—

"issue in dispute",

in relation to a strike or lock—out, means the demand, the grievance or the dispute that forms the subject matter of the strike or lock—out;

"legal practitioner"

means any person admitted to practise as an advocate or an attorney in the Republic;

"lock—out"

means the exclusion by an employer of employees from the employer"s workplace, for the purpose of compelling the employees to accept a demand in respect of any matter of mutual interest between employer and employee, whether or not the employer breaches those employees" contracts of employment in the course of or for the purpose of that exclusion;

"Minister"

means the Minister of Labour;

"NEDLAC"

means the National Economic Development and Labour Council established by section 2 of the National Economic, Development and Labour Council Act, 1994 (Act No. 35 of 1994);

"office—bearer"

means a person who holds office in a trade union, employers" organisation, federation of trade unions, federation of employers" organisations or council and who is not an official;

"official"

in relation to a trade union, employers" organisation, federation of trade unions or federation of employers " organisations means a person employed as the secretary, assistant secretary or organiser of a trade union, employers" organisation or federation, or in any other prescribed capacity, whether or not that person is employed in a full—time capacity. And, in relation to a council means a person employed by a council as secretary or in any other prescribed capacity, whether or not that person is employed in a full—time capacity;

"operational requirements"

means requirements based on the economic, technological, structural or similar needs of an employer;

"prescribed"

means prescribed from time to time by regulation in terms of section 208;

"protest action"

means the partial or complete concerted refusal to work, or the retardation or obstruction of work, for the purpose of promoting or defending the socio—economic interests of workers, but not for a purpose referred to in the definition of strike;

"public service"

means the national departments, provincial administrations, provincial departments and Government components contemplated in section 7(2) of the Public Service Act, 1994 (promulgated by Proclamation No. 103 of 1994), but excluding—

[Definition substituted by section 42 of the Public Service Amendment Act, 2007, Notice No. 22, GG 30675, dated 17 January 2008]

"registered scope"

means—

[Paragraph (b) substituted by section 54(d) of Act No. 12 of 2002]

"registrar"

means the registrar of labour relations appointed in terms of section 108 and includes—

"remuneration"

means any payment in money or in kind, or both in money and in kind, made or owing to any person in return for that person working for any other person, including the State, and "remunerate" has a corresponding meaning;

"Republic"

"sector"

means, subject to section 37, an industry or a service;

"serve"

means to send by electronic mail, registered post, telegram, telex, telefax or to deliver by hand, and—

[Definition substituted by section 42(d) of Act No. 6 of 2014]

"statutory council"

means a council established in terms of Part E of Chapter III;

"strike"

means the partial or complete concerted refusal to work, or the retardation or obstruction of work, by persons who are or have been employed by the same employer or by different employers, for the purpose of remedying a grievance or resolving a dispute in respect of any matter of mutual interest between employer and employee, and every reference to "work"" in this definition includes overtime work, whether it is voluntary or compulsory;

"this Act"

includes the section numbers, the Schedules, except Schedules 4 and 8, and any regulations made in terms of section 208, but does not include the page headers, the headings or footnotes;

"trade union"

means an association of employees whose principal purpose is to regulate relations between employees and employers, including any employers" organisations;

"trade union representative"

means a member of a trade union who is elected to represent employees in a workplace;

"Wage Act"

means the Wage Act, 1957 (Act No. 5 of 1957);

"working hours"

means those hours during which an employee is obliged to work;

"workplace"

"workplace forum"

means a workplace forum established in terms of Chapter V.