Industrial Relations

Since the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in 2015, digitalisation has grown to be one of the most powerful platforms for companies to do business. You are effectively losing business if you do not have an attractive and informative website.

South Africa has a golden opportunity to compete internationally for e-learning projects alongside the likes of India and the Philippines. That is according to Tom Kuhlmann, Chief Learning Architect at the maker of the world's most popular apps for online learning, US-based Articulate.

Need to prepare for a hearing at the CCMA? Here's a guide for first-timers attending a conciliation-arbitration hearing to walk you through all the steps.

In October of last year we received a call from one of our regular clients who was keen to be quoted for a negotiation workshop for their shop stewards.

On the eve of what is now commonly referred to as the annual strike season,
the Labour Appeal Court was once again called upon to consider a series of
complex issues which invariably arise within the context of the right to strike.

If a majority trade union enters into a collective agreement with an employer
are minority unions obligated to abide by the terms of that agreement as
well? A recent court case reveals the answer.

Major social frustration has turned the workplace into a warzone resulting in mass
strike action which is becoming increasingly violent. Employers need to re-establish
constructive relationships with all employees if the labour relations landscape is to
improve.

Strikes in South Africa are often characterized by intimidation, violence and the destruction of property. Every employee has the right to strike, but does that right extend to extreme and illegal action?

Did you know that your two-day-a-week domestic worker qualifies as an employee? Research shows that while employers are keen to do the right thing, failure to legalise domestic service arrangements is a result of ignorance. If you have a domestic worker here are some things you should know.

The latest report shows that educated South Africans are not immune to the unemployment plague currently stripping the country. This is a 'reflection of a growing mismatch persistent in the labour market' says labour market specialist Abrahams Mutedi.

Finding the find common ground between employers and employees in the negotiation process can be tricky, yet failure to so can be costly for both parties Nritika Singh looks at the fundamental problems of the negotiation process and how to overcome them.

The recent spate of strikes in the country have left many businesses crippled by a lack of service delivery and economic losses, but Manpower provides an essential guide for business to follow in order to minimize the negative impact of industrial action.

Do you understand the process of position bargaining? The annual strikes and protests launched by dissatisfied workers as a result of wage dissagreements is an ongoing concern and Jonathan Goldberg sheds some light on the processes involved in collective bargaining.

South Africans have watched with rising concern media reports of professional workers - particularly teachers and nurses - behaving in a violent or overly aggressive manner during the recent public sector strikes. Academics and labour law professionals and union representatives gathered to consider whether our strike law should be changed - or is it a lack of skilled facilitators, negotiators and mediators?

In April the CCMA received 11 560 new cases, with 83% citing unfair dismissal. But employers can put several procedures in place - such as ensuring that disciplinary action is always well recorded and impartial - to avoid or control costly staff tensions.

Metro cops are to get a pay hike, after minimum, median and maximum salary bands were increased to be on par with those of the city.
This follows after an agreement on salaries was reached between the City of Johannesburg and the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu), representing the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) staff.

Do non-South Africans qualify for the Unemployment Insurance Fund - and should employers be deducting UIF from their salaries? In our Asked and Answered section we look at the issue of UIF for non-South Africans.

In this section we look at what to expect from the settlement phase of the Con/Arb meeting at the CCMA.

This walks you throught the Arbitration process, equipping you with the knowledge you'll need to make the best of this situation.

The practice of suspending an employee's employment is once again in the public arena following the suspension of radio presenter Gareth Cliff. Mr Cliff was suspended from broadcasting for two days after a complaint that he had insensitively re-broadcast a newsclip about the looting of a Bangladeshi's watermelon shop in the Free State. Media reports are that Mr Cliff is seeking legal advice. Despite the absence of any instructions, here's our brief advice to Gareth Cliff.