The right to organise: critiquing the role of trade unions in shaping work relations in post-apartheid South Africa
- Authors: Nyathi, Mthokozisi
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Labor unions -- South Africa , Apartheid -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3690 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003205 , Labor unions -- South Africa , Apartheid -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor -- South Africa
- Description: Organised labour continues to play a prominent role in shaping employment relations in South Africa. The individual worker is powerless and in a weaker bargaining position against his employer. The advent of democracy was accompanied by numerous interventions to level the historically uneven bargaining field. The trade union movement has made and consolidated significant gains since the advent of democracy. It however faces a plethora of new challenges, such as the negative forces of globalisation, declining membership (often associated with high levels of unemployment and the changing nature of work from standard to atypical employment), the resurfacing of adversarialism in the bargaining process, and numerous shortcomings inherent in forums established to facilitate corporatism. Business is intensifying its calls for investor-friendly policies, which effectively mean a relaxation of labour policies. The trade union movement faces an enormous task of rebuilding confidence and credibility among its members and at the same time showing some commitment to other social actors, government and business, that it is committed to contribute to economic growth and employment creation. The central focus of this thesis will be to highlight the gains made by the trade union movement, the numerous challenges threatening their existence, and how they have attempted to redefine their role in the face of these challenges. It will attempt to offer advice on how trade unions can continue to play a prominent role in shaping relations of work in South Africa. The study begins with a historical overview of trade unionism in South Africa. It then attempts to establish how trade unions have made use of the institution of collective bargaining, the importance of organisational rights to the trade union movement, the effectiveness of industrial action, and the emerging challenges threatening the vibrancy of trade unions. The overall aim is to assess whether the trade union movement is still a force to be reckoned with and its future role in influencing employment relations in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Nyathi, Mthokozisi
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Labor unions -- South Africa , Apartheid -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3690 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003205 , Labor unions -- South Africa , Apartheid -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor -- South Africa
- Description: Organised labour continues to play a prominent role in shaping employment relations in South Africa. The individual worker is powerless and in a weaker bargaining position against his employer. The advent of democracy was accompanied by numerous interventions to level the historically uneven bargaining field. The trade union movement has made and consolidated significant gains since the advent of democracy. It however faces a plethora of new challenges, such as the negative forces of globalisation, declining membership (often associated with high levels of unemployment and the changing nature of work from standard to atypical employment), the resurfacing of adversarialism in the bargaining process, and numerous shortcomings inherent in forums established to facilitate corporatism. Business is intensifying its calls for investor-friendly policies, which effectively mean a relaxation of labour policies. The trade union movement faces an enormous task of rebuilding confidence and credibility among its members and at the same time showing some commitment to other social actors, government and business, that it is committed to contribute to economic growth and employment creation. The central focus of this thesis will be to highlight the gains made by the trade union movement, the numerous challenges threatening their existence, and how they have attempted to redefine their role in the face of these challenges. It will attempt to offer advice on how trade unions can continue to play a prominent role in shaping relations of work in South Africa. The study begins with a historical overview of trade unionism in South Africa. It then attempts to establish how trade unions have made use of the institution of collective bargaining, the importance of organisational rights to the trade union movement, the effectiveness of industrial action, and the emerging challenges threatening the vibrancy of trade unions. The overall aim is to assess whether the trade union movement is still a force to be reckoned with and its future role in influencing employment relations in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Exploring the management-union relationship in an automotive component manufacturer
- Authors: Gunyazile, Bongani
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- South Africa , Management -- Employee participation
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51464 , vital:43280
- Description: This study explored the management-union relationship in an automotive component manufacturer. The study was explorative and descriptive, using a qualitative approach. This was done in order to provide an accurate and valid representation of the factors and variables that are relevant to the research question. The sample of the study consisted of both members of management and union representatives who had been with the company before 2002. A combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse data from the survey questionnaire and interview guide. The literature review dealt with the overview of the South African industrial relations system, the need for the company to be globally competitive, the role of employee participation and the need for cooperative union-management relationships. Further, the usefulness of the Relationship by Objectives (RBO) intervention in creating and securing cooperative union-management relations was appraised. The company, in consultation with the union acquired the services of an independent third party to facilitate the RBO intervention. The findings illustrate that both management and the union found the institutional framework put in place by the RBO process helpful to their relationship in that it allowed both parties to engage with each other frequently, in a more respectful and structured manner. It is recommended that the company, through HR in consultation with the union and strengthen the forums of engagements currently in place by scheduling meetings in advance, accommodate each other in order to afford all stakeholders an opportunity to plan ahead and attend all forums of engagement where possible. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Labour Relations and Human Resources, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
- Authors: Gunyazile, Bongani
- Date: 2021-04
- Subjects: Industrial relations -- South Africa , Labor unions -- South Africa , Management -- Employee participation
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/51464 , vital:43280
- Description: This study explored the management-union relationship in an automotive component manufacturer. The study was explorative and descriptive, using a qualitative approach. This was done in order to provide an accurate and valid representation of the factors and variables that are relevant to the research question. The sample of the study consisted of both members of management and union representatives who had been with the company before 2002. A combination of descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyse data from the survey questionnaire and interview guide. The literature review dealt with the overview of the South African industrial relations system, the need for the company to be globally competitive, the role of employee participation and the need for cooperative union-management relationships. Further, the usefulness of the Relationship by Objectives (RBO) intervention in creating and securing cooperative union-management relations was appraised. The company, in consultation with the union acquired the services of an independent third party to facilitate the RBO intervention. The findings illustrate that both management and the union found the institutional framework put in place by the RBO process helpful to their relationship in that it allowed both parties to engage with each other frequently, in a more respectful and structured manner. It is recommended that the company, through HR in consultation with the union and strengthen the forums of engagements currently in place by scheduling meetings in advance, accommodate each other in order to afford all stakeholders an opportunity to plan ahead and attend all forums of engagement where possible. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Labour Relations and Human Resources, 2021
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021-04
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