Worker’s Day Webinar enhances working conditions, assesses trade unions relevance in South Africa
In an effort to improve working conditions, acknowledge the contributions of workers and labour movements, and boost employees productivity, the Department of Business Management at the University of Limpopo (UL) hosted a Worker’s Day Webinar
In collaboration with workers unions, the webinar aimed to assess the relevance of trade unions three decades after the first democratic elections in the country. Themed: ‘Thirty Years into Non-Racial Democratic Elections: Interrogating the Relevance of Trade Unions in the Improvement of Working Conditions and Employee Productivity in South Africa’, the webinar provided a platform to interrogate the working conditions of South African works and how unions could ensure they are up to par.
Facilitated by Prof Brian Majola, Associate Professor in the Human Resource Management at UL, the event also sought to honour the legacy of those who fought for workers’ rights in the past and renew the commitment to building a more equitable society for all South Africans.
“The event is held in line with UL’s Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027 vision statement epitomising academic excellence by providing developmental community engagement initiatives that offer expanded studies resulting in suitably qualified and career-oriented graduates,” explained Prof Majola. He added that South Africa has observed May 1st as Workers’ Day since the first non-racial democratic elections in 1994. However, Prof Majola argued that the South African work environment has remained highly unionised thirty years into the democracy.
Presenting on Structures of Collective Bargaining in the Public Service, Frikkie De Bruin, the General Secretary of Public Service Co-Ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), referenced the International Labour Organization (ILO) receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969 for its efforts to improve peace among classes, pursue decent work and justice for workers, and provide technical assistance to other developing nations.
“Over the years, the PSCBC has delivered numerous outcomes in terms of collective agreements on socio-economic interests and other matters of mutual interest which bind the employer and employees, thus limiting managerial prerogative as they can only be effected in a manner which has specifically been agreed between the parties,” De Bruin said.
Dr Phumuzile Dlamini, Executive Director for Human Resources at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in her presentation highlighted that the concept of workers’ participation in management is based on human relations approach to management, which introduced a new set of values to labour and management. “As long as the constitution of the country, read together with other legislation governing employment relationships, unions will always exist irrespective of global changes and growing trend of artificial intelligence,” she noted.
The virtual event also featured contributions from Matthew Parks from of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), who also serves as a Parliamentary Coordinator and Acting National Spokesperson of COSATU.
Additionally, Madala Shingange, another speaker, discussed the history of trade unions in Limpopo, emphasising that trade unions should respond to workers’ needs as agents of change and support workers through the process of transformation.