RVZ International Group (Pty) Ltd ("RVZ") resolves workplace concerns and complaints consistently, promptly and fairly. Every person is treated with dignity, equality and procedural fairness; decisions are evidence-based; and anyone may raise a concern through an accessible route without retaliation. This policy sets out the grievance procedure for employees and placed workers, the fair-procedure standards RVZ applies before any disciplinary outcome, and the complaint route for everyone else who deals with us.
1.1 A grievance is any concern, problem or complaint an employee raises about their work, working conditions, treatment by a manager or colleague, the application of a policy or contract term, pay or benefits, or any other aspect of the employment relationship. It includes concerns about the conduct of a client or a client's staff at premises to which a worker is assigned.
1.2 Every employee may raise a grievance without retaliation and may bypass a reporting line that is conflicted or is itself the subject of the grievance. Victimising an employee for raising a grievance in good faith, or for exercising any right under the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 ("LRA"), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 ("BCEA") or the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 ("EEA"), is prohibited by LRA section 5 and is serious misconduct at RVZ.
1.3 An employee may be assisted or represented at any stage by a fellow employee or a shop steward of a representative trade union, and, where RVZ agrees or the circumstances warrant it, by another person.
1.4 Informal resolution is encouraged where appropriate, but it is never forced for harassment, serious misconduct or a protected disclosure, and an employee may proceed formally at any time.
| Step | What happens | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 — Informal | Raise the concern with your immediate manager (or, if the manager is the subject, the next level or HR). The manager listens, investigates informally where needed and responds. | Response within 5 working days |
| Step 2 — Formal | Submit a written grievance (email to info@rvzgroup.co.za or the grievance form) stating the facts, the people involved, what has been done so far and the outcome you seek. HR acknowledges receipt, appoints an impartial grievance officer, holds a grievance meeting at which you may be represented, gathers evidence and gives a written outcome with reasons. | Acknowledged within 2 working days; meeting within 5 working days; written outcome within 10 working days of the meeting |
| Step 3 — Appeal | If you are dissatisfied, appeal in writing to the Chief Executive Officer (or a senior manager not previously involved), stating why. The appeal officer reviews the record and may hold a further hearing before issuing a final internal decision. | Appeal lodged within 5 working days of the outcome; decision within 10 working days |
| Step 4 — External | Your statutory right to refer a dispute to the CCMA, a bargaining council, the Department of Employment and Labour, the Labour Court or another competent body is unaffected (see section 6). | Statutory time limits apply |
2.1 Timeframes may be extended by agreement or where a reasonable investigation requires it; you will be told of the reason and the new date. Grievances that raise a risk to safety are treated as urgent and containment measures are taken immediately under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993.
2.2 A collective grievance may be raised by a group of employees or a recognised union in the same way; RVZ will consult in accordance with any collective agreement or bargaining-council arrangement that applies.
3.1 Harassment. A complaint of harassment (sexual, racial, gender-based, disability-based, bullying or other unwelcome conduct that impairs dignity or creates a hostile environment) is handled under RVZ's Prevention and Elimination of Harassment policy (POL-PEO-03), in line with the Code of Good Practice on the Prevention and Elimination of Harassment in the Workplace (2022) issued under the EEA. Multiple reporting routes, confidential advice, interim protective measures, a trauma-informed and impartial investigation, and strict non-retaliation apply. A manager who knows or ought reasonably to know of possible harassment must act and refer it; a manager may not insist on informal resolution.
3.2 Unfair discrimination. A complaint of unfair discrimination on a listed or arbitrary ground is handled under our Employment Equity, Equality and Reasonable Accommodation Statement and EEA section 6. It may also be referred directly to the CCMA under EEA section 10, and to the Equality Court under the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 for non-employment matters.
3.3 Protected disclosures. A grievance that reveals unlawful, irregular, dangerous or unethical conduct is also a protected disclosure and attracts the protections in our Whistleblowing and Protected Disclosures Policy and the Protected Disclosures Act 26 of 2000.
4.1 Discipline at RVZ is corrective and, where appropriate, progressive (counselling, verbal warning, written warning, final written warning), although the seriousness of the conduct and its context may justify a different or more serious response for a first offence. Dismissal is reserved for serious misconduct, repeated misconduct after warnings, or where the employment relationship has become intolerable.
4.2 Substantive fairness. Before any adverse finding RVZ considers, as the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal (Schedule 8 to the LRA, as revised in 2025) requires: whether a valid and reasonable rule or standard existed; whether the employee was aware of it or could reasonably be expected to be; whether the rule was contravened, on a balance of probabilities; whether it has been applied consistently; the employee's circumstances, length of service and disciplinary record; the nature and gravity of the conduct and its harm; and whether the relationship can continue.
4.3 Procedural fairness. An employee facing possible discipline receives, in a language and form they understand, notice of the allegations and the possible outcome, reasonable time to prepare, the right to be represented by a fellow employee or shop steward, the right to state a case in response, to call and question witnesses, and to have an interpreter, and a decision with reasons communicated in writing. The process is proportionate to the seriousness of the matter and the size of the business and need not be a formal court-style hearing.
4.4 Incapacity. Poor work performance and ill-health or injury are dealt with as incapacity, not misconduct: clear standards, guidance and a fair opportunity to improve for performance; investigation of the extent of the incapacity and reasonable accommodation or alternative work for ill-health, in line with items 8 to 11 of the Code and, where relevant, the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993.
4.5 Review. A dismissal or other serious outcome is reviewed by HR and Legal before it is implemented, and nothing in an outcome restricts the employee's statutory referral rights.
An employee may be placed on precautionary suspension on full pay while a serious allegation is investigated only where there is a genuine risk to the investigation, to people, to property or to information; it is not a punishment. The employee is told the reasons, the suspension is kept as short as reasonably possible and is reviewed regularly, and the employee's benefits continue. Where the 2025 Code permits a suspension without prior representations, the employee may nevertheless make representations promptly afterwards.
6.1 An employee may appeal any disciplinary outcome as in Step 3 above. An appeal does not remove statutory rights.
6.2 Under LRA section 191 an employee may refer an alleged unfair dismissal to the CCMA (or bargaining council with jurisdiction) within 30 days of the dismissal, and an alleged unfair labour practice within 90 days. Automatically unfair dismissals (LRA section 187, including dismissals for pregnancy, union activity, a protected disclosure or unfair discrimination) and disputes about discrimination under EEA section 10 may proceed to the Labour Court. Claims for unpaid wages, leave or other BCEA entitlements may be referred to the CCMA under BCEA section 73A or to a labour inspector of the Department of Employment and Labour. Contact details: CCMA 0861 16 16 16, ccma.org.za; Department of Employment and Labour, labour.gov.za.
7.1 A worker placed by RVZ Personnel Services with a client under a temporary employment service ("TES") arrangement is RVZ's employee and may use this procedure for any concern, including conduct at the client site. RVZ raises client-site issues with the client under the assignment agreement (Schedule 3 to our Terms and Conditions) and will not tolerate a client's retaliation against a worker for raising a grievance.
7.2 Under LRA section 198A, a worker earning below the BCEA earnings threshold who is placed with a client for more than three months, other than as a genuine substitute or in a category determined by collective agreement or sectoral determination, is deemed the employee of the client for purposes of the LRA and must be treated on the whole not less favourably than the client's comparable employees; and under section 198(4) RVZ and the client are jointly and severally liable for contraventions of a collective agreement, arbitration award, the BCEA or a sectoral determination. Grievances concerning these rights may be raised with RVZ, the client, or both, and referred to the CCMA against either or both.
7.3 Candidates in a permanent-recruitment process are not RVZ's employees; their complaints about the recruitment process are handled under Part B and, where they concern discrimination, under EEA section 9 (which extends protection to applicants).
8.1 Anyone who is not an employee — a client, consumer, candidate, supplier, event guest, traveller or member of the public — may complain about any aspect of RVZ's service, conduct or decisions. Complaints are handled under our Complaints and Consumer Redress policy (POL-COM-04) and, for consumers, under the Consumer Protection, Service Delivery and Redress Policy.
8.2 How to complain. Email support@rvzgroup.co.za, use the contact page, telephone +27 68 923 7538, or write to our registered address. Please give your name, contact details, the division and reference (order, booking, invoice or vacancy number), what happened and what outcome you seek.
8.3 Service standards. We acknowledge a complaint within 2 business days, assign it to a person independent of the conduct complained of where practicable, and give a substantive written response within 10 business days; where more time is genuinely needed we say so and give a date. A complaint about a supplier engaged by RVZ (a venue, courier, print partner or travel supplier) is handled by RVZ — we do not simply redirect you to the supplier where RVZ contracted with you.
8.4 Escalation. If you remain dissatisfied you may escalate to the Chief Executive Officer, and thereafter to the relevant external body: the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, the National Consumer Commission, the provincial consumer protection authority or the National Consumer Tribunal for consumer matters; the Information Regulator for privacy matters; the CCMA or Department of Employment and Labour for employment-related matters; the Advertising Regulatory Board for advertising; the Companies Tribunal for company-law matters; and the courts. Details and time limits are set out in the Consumer Protection Policy.
9.1 Grievance, complaint and disciplinary records are kept confidential, disclosed only on a need-to-know basis, and processed under POPIA. Disciplinary records are retained on the personnel file for the period stated in the applicable disciplinary code and BCEA section 31 (three years after termination for prescribed records); complaint records for the periods in our Privacy Policy.
9.2 HR reports trend measures (numbers, categories, resolution times and outcomes, without identities) to executive management at least annually and reviews this policy after any legal change, incident, audit finding or material complaint.
This page is the public edition of RVZ's Grievance, Discipline and Fair Procedure policy (POL-PEO-04) and Complaints policy (POL-COM-04). The full internal disciplinary code is issued to employees on engagement. Nothing in this policy limits a statutory right or time limit. It is not legal advice.