Employees are required to respect the employers’ property. If an employee wilfully damages the property of the employee, dismissal is almost invariably justified. The justification in such cases flows more from the employee’s malicious intent than from the actual damage caused; where intent is present, dismissal is warranted even if the employer suffered only minor loss. Damage to property arising from employees’ negligence has also been held to warrant disciplinary action.

If employees knew that their neglect of duty could result in serious damage to the employer’s property, negligence can be said to be ‘gross’. Repeated lapses by employees that result in loss to the employer may also justify dismissal.

For further information or any labour related matters, you can contact Bernard Reisner:
W.Tel no.: 021-423-3959
Cell: 082-433-8714
Fax: 021-4232105
E-mail: bernard@capelabour.co.za
Website: www.capelabour.co.za