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
The development of organisational rights in South Africa
- Authors: Sohena, Siphiwo Clifford
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10230 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/841 , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: Under the previous Labour Relations Act of 1956, (herein after refered as old LRA) organisational rights in South Africa were conspicuous by their absence. In addition, theright to access was restricted by the Trespass Act No. 6 of 1959, which made it a criminal offence to enter land without thepermission of the owner or lawful occupier, except for a lawful reason. During the 1980’s and the first half of the 1990’s several trade union rights, including the right to engage in collective bargaining were established by the Industrial Court under its unfair labour practice jurisdiction. After 1994, South African courts were bound to uphold the basic rights entrenched in the Constitution, Act No. 108 of 1996, and the new Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995, (herein after refered as new LRA) was promulgated. A new system of collective bargaining which is voluntary in nature was established in order to level the playing fields between employees and trade unions. The new LRA grants organisational rights to registered trade unions. The aim of this treatise is to consider and evaluate these rights. The main source of organisational rights in international public law is to be found in the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Freedom of Association. Decisions of the International Labour Organisation’s bodies of supervision and interpretation have upheld the protection of various organisational rights, such as trade union access to the employer’s premises,representation of employees by the officials of their trade union, and the right of union officials to collect union dues. These rights have now been incorporated into our labour law system. In this treatise, the pre-1994 situation and the scenario after the 1994 democratic elections is analysed. The contents of these rights are considered as well as enforcement there-of.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Sohena, Siphiwo Clifford
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10230 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/841 , Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: Under the previous Labour Relations Act of 1956, (herein after refered as old LRA) organisational rights in South Africa were conspicuous by their absence. In addition, theright to access was restricted by the Trespass Act No. 6 of 1959, which made it a criminal offence to enter land without thepermission of the owner or lawful occupier, except for a lawful reason. During the 1980’s and the first half of the 1990’s several trade union rights, including the right to engage in collective bargaining were established by the Industrial Court under its unfair labour practice jurisdiction. After 1994, South African courts were bound to uphold the basic rights entrenched in the Constitution, Act No. 108 of 1996, and the new Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995, (herein after refered as new LRA) was promulgated. A new system of collective bargaining which is voluntary in nature was established in order to level the playing fields between employees and trade unions. The new LRA grants organisational rights to registered trade unions. The aim of this treatise is to consider and evaluate these rights. The main source of organisational rights in international public law is to be found in the International Labour Organisation’s Convention on Freedom of Association. Decisions of the International Labour Organisation’s bodies of supervision and interpretation have upheld the protection of various organisational rights, such as trade union access to the employer’s premises,representation of employees by the officials of their trade union, and the right of union officials to collect union dues. These rights have now been incorporated into our labour law system. In this treatise, the pre-1994 situation and the scenario after the 1994 democratic elections is analysed. The contents of these rights are considered as well as enforcement there-of.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
A trade union’s right to strike to acquire organisational rights
- Authors: Bebula, Vitamin Luxolo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa South Africa -- Labour Relations Act -- 1995
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48949 , vital:41565
- Description: Chapter II of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) entrenches the right to freedom of association. Section 1(c) of the LRA outlines the purpose of this Act as to provide a collective bargaining framework to determine wages, terms and conditions of employment, and matters of mutual interest by the employees and their unions and employers and employer’s organisation. Under this chapter, section (1)3 of the LRA confers the right to an employee to join a trade union, form or participate in forming a trade union or federation of trade unions. The member of a trade union has a right to participate in the lawful activities of his or her union. Regarding freedom of association, the new government took a commitment to uphold international labour standards and promised to submit to International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining to parliament for ratification. In 1992 some provision of the previous Labour Relations Act was declared by ILO’s FFCC as incompatible with the freedom of association. The convention affords the workers and employers the right to establish and join organisations and federations of their own choice. The ILO also protects the right to collective bargaining. The convention also confers the right to provision of facilities to worker’s representatives for prompt and effective conduction of their activities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Bebula, Vitamin Luxolo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Labor unions -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa South Africa -- Labour Relations Act -- 1995
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48949 , vital:41565
- Description: Chapter II of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) entrenches the right to freedom of association. Section 1(c) of the LRA outlines the purpose of this Act as to provide a collective bargaining framework to determine wages, terms and conditions of employment, and matters of mutual interest by the employees and their unions and employers and employer’s organisation. Under this chapter, section (1)3 of the LRA confers the right to an employee to join a trade union, form or participate in forming a trade union or federation of trade unions. The member of a trade union has a right to participate in the lawful activities of his or her union. Regarding freedom of association, the new government took a commitment to uphold international labour standards and promised to submit to International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining to parliament for ratification. In 1992 some provision of the previous Labour Relations Act was declared by ILO’s FFCC as incompatible with the freedom of association. The convention affords the workers and employers the right to establish and join organisations and federations of their own choice. The ILO also protects the right to collective bargaining. The convention also confers the right to provision of facilities to worker’s representatives for prompt and effective conduction of their activities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
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