I was dismissed last year after a case was built against me because of personality clashes with my boss. I took the case to CCMA where it was settled when they offered me 3 months salary which I agreed to.
Subsequently I applied for a position and was told by the recruitment agency that they were told by the company that I was dismissed because of personality clash with my boss. Are they allowed to do this? I feel that they do not need to disclose this. Can I ask my union Solidarity to write a letter to them?
You can ask, but your employer may still not change the bad references. Although this may amount to defemation, it would be costly and time consuming to bring a case against your employer. The quickest and cheapest option is to remove them as a reference.