HR and Labour Relations

In South Africa employees are protected by various pieces of legislation. Section 23 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 provides for a right to fair labour practice. In its preamble the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (hereafter referred to as the LRA) states that the purpose of the Act is to advance economic development, social justice, labour peace and democratisation of the workplace. The LRA also states that one of its objectives is to give effect to and regulate the fundamental rights conferred by section 27 of the Constitution. The Occupational Health and Safety Act as amended by the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act 181 of 1993 provides for the health and safety of persons at work and for the health and safety of persons in connection with the use of plant and machinery. The LRA provides for dismissal for incapacity and dismissals for misconduct. It also differentiates between the two. The LRA provides for both substantive and procedural fairness when dismissing an employee for incapacity and misconduct. This paper will examine the rationale behind differentiating between dismissal for drunkenness and dismissal for alcoholism.

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Social Dialogue Under Globalization in Nigeria: Does Democracy Add Value?

The Nigerian Journal of Sociology and Anthropology ◽

10.36108/njsa/7002/50(0120) ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ifeanyi P. Onyeonoru ◽

Kehinde Kester

Keyword(s):

Industrial Relations ◽

Work Place ◽

Consensus Building ◽

International Labour Organisation ◽

Labour Relations ◽

Social Dialogue ◽

Modest Contribution ◽

Social Partners ◽

Oil Sector ◽

The Government

Social dialogue as an aspect of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is aimed at promoting industrial democracy by encouraging consensus building among social partners in the work place. The significance lies, among others, in minimising conflicts to enable harmonious industrial relations. This study utilized specific case illustrations to examine the inclination of the Nigerian government towards social dialogue in government-labour relations, with particular reference to the Obasanjo era 1999-2007— a period associated with the globalization of democracy. The cases included the minimum wage award 2000, University Autonomy Bill, the price deregulation of the downstream oil sector and the Trade Union Amendment Bill 2004. It was found that the government exhibited a penchant for authoritarianism in spite of the globalization of democracy. This was evident in the incapacity of the Obasanjo government to engage the social partners in social dialogue as indicated by the cases reviewed. The study, however, highlighted the modest contribution to social dialogue made by the wider democratic structure. It was concluded that the government had limited capacity for consensus building, accommodation of opposition and negotiated outcomes in government-labour relations

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Regional characteristics of the gender employment gap: A spatio-temporal approach

The Economic and Labour Relations Review ◽

10.1177/10353046211023242 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 103530462110232

Author(s):

Jorge Chica-Olmo ◽

Marina Checa-Olivas ◽

Fernando Lopez-Castellano

Keyword(s):

Gender Gap ◽

Spillover Effect ◽

Jel Codes ◽

Labour Relations ◽

Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽

Regional Characteristics ◽

Spatial Approach ◽

Employment Gap ◽

Diffusion Mechanisms ◽

Spatio Temporal

There is a substantial body of research that recognises the importance of analysing regional characteristics in employment and labour relations that occur in a given geographical context. However, this phenomenon has been scarcely studied from a spatial approach. This article uses a spatio-temporal panel data model to examine the spatial interactions between the gender employment gap and, some labour and socioeconomic characteristics of 727 municipalities of Andalusia, Spain, for the period 2012–2016. The results show that due to spatial diffusion mechanisms, a spatial spillover effect occurs in both the gender gap in employment and in some of the labour and socioeconomic characteristics considered. These findings may be extended to other geographic areas and can be of use for the implementation of regional policies aimed at narrowing the gender employment gap. JEL Codes: R10, J16, E24

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COVID-19 in Southeast Asia: Implications for workers and unions

Journal of Industrial Relations ◽

10.1177/00221856211000097 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002218562110000

Author(s):

Michele Ford ◽

Kristy Ward

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Labour Market ◽

Industrial Relations ◽

First Year ◽

Labour Relations ◽

The Public ◽

Market Effects ◽

Export Orientation ◽

Health Measures

The labour market effects in Southeast Asia of the COVID-19 pandemic have attracted considerable analysis from both scholars and practitioners. However, much less attention has been paid to the pandemic’s impact on legal protections for workers’ and unions’ rights, or to what might account for divergent outcomes in this respect in economies that share many characteristics, including a strong export orientation in labour-intensive industries and weak industrial relations institutions. Having described the public health measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam, this article analyses governments’ employment-related responses and their impact on workers and unions in the first year of the pandemic. Based on this analysis, we conclude that the disruption caused to these countries’ economies, and societies, served to reproduce existing patterns of state–labour relations rather than overturning them.

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