Labour law not to blame for turbulent industrial relations – Oliphant
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Labour legislation was not to blame for the prolonged and often violent strikes hitting various industries across South Africa and opting for a “quick fix” or an “emotional” solution to the country’s bitter labour relations would not be sustainable, Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant warned this week.
Speaking at a closed dialogue session at the 2014 Mining Legotla, in Midrand, the Minister stressed that the high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality “feed into the troubles” that have emerged and transformation, not laws, was the answer.
“The lack of real transformation, socioeconomic equity, mutual respect and trust in the workplace … have contributed to the anger and frustration that we see in the current industrial relations dynamics,” she explained.
The strikes were more about the ever-increasing wage gap between management and workers and the “appalling” living conditions of workers, particularly in the mining industry.
Various institutions, as outlined by the Labour Relations Act (LRA), were able to assist in managing the inherent conflict in the employer–employee relationships, and Oliphant highlighted that the National Economic Development and Labour Council was the “appropriate” forum to grapple with the recent violent developments in industrial relations.
She said the proposed amendments to the LRA would further strengthen these institutions and empower the inspectorate.
“The primary aim of our labour market legislative framework, was to create an enabling environment and tools to address this harsh reality,” she noted.
However, the “mediocre” compliance with existing labour laws further contributed to the “militant stances” of workers dealing with collective bargaining processes.
“We need to be very careful about tinkering with the law when the law is not the culprit. How do we bring back the integrity of negotiations as prescribed in the LRA?”
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
The Steel Tube Export Association of South Africa was established to develop sustainable, internationally competitive carbon steel tube and pipe...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
