Prescription entails the extinction of a claim or a debt through the lapse of a predetermined time period.[i] This is what is referred to as extinctive prescription.[ii] Extinctive prescription is an area of law that has survived the journey from Roman law to contemporary Zimbabwean law. The net effect of prescription is that once a certain time period elapses, a claim ceases to exist or in other words, a claim is extinguished.[iii] Serious consequences thus flow from extinctive prescription.
Labour Act (Chap 28.01)
The Labour Act position is that all labour disputes should be entertained in a judicial forum within a period of two years of their occurrence.[iv] This is the general rule. As an exception to this general rule, the Act provides that a dispute will not prescribe if it “is continuing at the time it is brought to the attention of a labour officer”.[v] These are the fundamental provisions in the Labour Act in as far as prescription of labour disputes in is concerned.
It is argued that the Labour Act provisions can be fully understood if the provisions in the prescription act are also juxtaposed. In this regard, the provisions in the Prescription Act are discussed below.
Prescription Act (Chap 8.11)
The Prescription Act enshrines the law of prescription and applies to all debts or claims provided that its provisions are consistent with Acts such as the Labour Act.[vi] The act provides for prescription periods for civil claims (3 years), 30 years in the instance of debts secured by a mortgage bond and 15 years for debts owed to the state e.t.c.[vii]
The act has provisions which state when the prescription starts to run [viii] when the prescription is deemed to be delayed,[ix] and when it is deemed to have been interrupted.[x] These provisions apply to labour disputes as well. The Labour act doesn’t provide any alternative provisions for the specific matters mentioned above. The prescription act is thus authority for the delay and interruption of prescription.
When prescription begins to run
In terms of the Labour Act, the two-year prescription period begins to run from the moment the act forming the subject of the unfair labour practise or dispute arises,[xi] or when the party referring the dispute became aware of the dispute or unfair labour practice.[xii] These provisions in the Labour Act are a mirror image of the provisions in the Prescription Act.[xiii] The most important aspect is that prescription runs the moment a dispute arises or is known by the aggrieved party. It follows therefore that if a dispute is present and the other party is not aware prescription does not run. Prescription will, in such circumstances start to run from the moment the dispute is known in terms of the identity of the debtor and the facts surrounding the dispute.[xiv]
Completion of prescription delayed
Circumstances may require that the completion of prescription be delayed even though it had been running for some time.[xv] In these circumstances, the completion of the period of prescription is paused subject to a continuation following cessation of the special circumstances.[xvi] These special circumstances prevent a litigant from enforcing his or her claim.
When a creditor is insane, is a minor or is under curatorship the completion of prescription is delayed.[xvii] Other circumstances include when a debtor is outside Zimbabwe[xviii] as well as when either the debtor or creditor is deceased and an executor of the estate is still to be appointed.[xix] One who alleges the presence of these special circumstances is also obliged to provide the proof thereof. Courts will not readily accept that prescription had been delayed without the essential proof.
Interruption of prescription
Interruption entails a situation where prescription stops completely and has to run afresh when circumstances demand.[xx] Situations which may demand interruption of prescription include acknowledgement of liability by a debtor,[xxi] service of a debtor of any process emanating from a court,[xxii] and when a creditor does not prosecute his or her claim to final judgement.[xxiii] The list of circumstances provided by the Prescription Act seems to be a closed list in terms of which any other circumstances other than those mentioned in the act will not be accepted for purposes of interrupting prescription.
Conclusion
It has been shown that the law relating to the prescription of labour disputes is found primarily in the Labour Act and the Prescription act. The Prescription Act contains an elaboration of the law on prescription. It has provisions that give content to the provisions in the Labour Act. Practitioners dealing with litigation in labour law have a duty to fully appreciate the provisions in both acts.
The provisions in the prescription act are crucial in as far as they point out circumstances that may lead to the delay in the completion of prescription as well as the interruption of the prescription. The far-reaching consequences of prescription demand that one is fully vested with its principles before entertaining a dispute.
References
[i] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(1).
[ii] Hutchison D The Law of Contract in South Africa 3rd (2017 Oxford Univ Press) 15.4.4.
[iii] Hutchison D The Law of Contract in South Africa 3rd (2017 Oxford Univ Press) 15.4.4.
[iv] Labour Act, section 94 (1).
[v] Labour Act, section 94 (2).
[vi] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(13).
[vii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(15).
[viii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(16).
[ix] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(17).
[x] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(18).
[xi] Labour Act, section 94 (3)(a).
[xii] Labour Act, section 94 (3)(b).
[xiii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(16)(1).
[xiv] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(16)(3).
[xv] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(17).
[xvi] Hutchison D The Law of Contract in South Africa 3rd (2017 Oxford Univ Press) 15.4.4.4.
[xvii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(17)(a).
[xviii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(17)(c).
[xix] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(17)(e).
[xx] Hutchison D The Law of Contract in South Africa 3rd (2017 Oxford Univ Press) 15.4.3.
[xxi] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(19)(e).
[xxii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(19)(e).
[xxiii] Prescription Act (Chapter 8:11), Section 14(19)(e).