Perceptions of personnel practitioners in Bloemfontein of the dispute resolution mechanisms of the labour relations Act 66 of 1995
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Date
1998
Authors
Prince, Boikanyo George
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Afrikaans: Die werkplek in Suid-Afrika is gepolariseerd op grond van ras, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van die
apartheidsbeleid van die verlede. Die gevolglike sosiale, politieke en ekonomiese omgewings het
'n negatiewe organisatoriese kultuur in die algemeen geskep. Dit het gelei tot 'n tekort aan
deelname en vertroue tussen lede van die gemeenskappe sowel as 'n afwesigheid van
groepsidentitiet. Die nuwe regering het dus met 'n transformasieproses begin waarin die
ekonomiese ontwikkeling van die benadeelde swart meerderheid 'n dominante tema in die
politieke heropbou van Suid-Afrika geword het. Dit het die persepsie geskep dat die regering
georganiseerde arbeid begunstig tot die nadeel van besigheid en dat die magsbalans ten gunste van
arbied geswaai het.
Die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge Wet 66 van 1995 is in September 1995 goedgekeur en het op
Il November 1996 in working getree. Een van die oogmerke van die Wet is om 'n eenvoudige
geskilbeslegtingsprosedure daar te stel. Die kern van die Wet is die Kommissie vir Versoening,
Mediasie en Arbitrasie (KVMA). Die KVMA en die Arbeidshof IS twee
geskilbeslegtingsinstellings.
Die navorsing het ten doel gehad om vas te stel wat die persepsies van personeelpraktisyns
teenoor die geskikbeslegtingsmeganismes van die Wet was. Die projek het die persepisies van
personeelpraktisyns in Bloemfontein rakende hierdie geskilbeslegtingsmeganismes geëvalueer. Die
spesifieke meganismes wat onder die Wet van toepassings is, is versoening en arbitrasie sowel as
die Arbeidshofprosesse.
Die navorsing was ook daarop gemik om vas te stelofhierdie persepsies op grond van biografiese
aspekte soos ras, bedryf vlak van bestuur, sowel as grootte van die organisasie ens. verskil.
'n Nie-eksperimentele, ondersoekende, verduidelikende beskrywingsontwerp is gebruik. Die
toetspopulasie het bestaan uit personeelpraktisyns in Bloemfontein wat ten minste twee jaar
ondervinding as arbeidsverhoudingepraktisyns het. Die toetsstrategie was geriefstoetsing.
'n Vraelys is gebruik om inligting van die respondente oor aspekte van konsiliasie, arbitrasie, die
Arbeidsverhof en die Arbeidsappélhof in te samel. Beskrywende statistiek is gebruik om die
persepsies van die personeelpraktisyns aangaande die geskilbeslegtingsmeganismes aan te teken.
Die bevindings van hierdie studie het aangedui dat die persepsies van die toetspopulasie gunstig
was en dat daar verskille is (alhoewel nie beduidend nie) volgens bedrywe, vlak van bestuur en
grootte van organisasies, maar nie noodwendig volgens ras nie.
Die studie sluit afmet aanbevelings wat in die algemeen fokus op die bou van verhoudings as 'n
wyse om konflik in die werkplek te verminder en/of uit te skakel. Die werkplek moet verder
getransformeer word as 'n manier om die proses van verhoudings bou aan te moedig. Sodra dit
behaal is, moet 'n prestasieverbeteringsprogram vir die KVMA geïmplementeer word om
prestasietekortkomings te identifiseer en toepaslike opleidingsprogramme moet geselekteer word
om die opleidingsbehooftes van die aangestelde kommissarisse aan te spreek. Indien die
bogemelde nie die geïdentifiseerde probleme aanspreek nie, moet wysigings aan die Wet oorweeg
en ingestel word. Laastens kan die partye uitkontrakteer ten opsigte van die statutêre
geskilbeslegtingsinstellings.
English: The workplace in South Africa has been polarised along racial lines, mainly as a result of separatist policies of the past. The resultant social, political, and economic environments created a negative organisational culture generally. This led to a lack of participation and lack of confidence between members of the communities as well as the absence of group identity. The new government has therefore had to embark on a transformation process in which the economic development of the disadvantaged black majority has become a dominant theme of the politically reconstructed South Africa. This has created perceptions that the government favours labour to the detriment of business and that the balance of power has shifted in favour of labour. The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 was passed in September 1995 and became effective on 11 November 1996. One of the objectives of this Act is to provide simple dispute resolution procedures. The centrepiece of the Act is the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The CCMA and the Labour Court are two dispute resolution institutions. The research aimed to determine the perceptions of personnel practitioners towards the dispute resolution mechanisms of the Act. The project assessed the perceptions of personnel practitioners in Bloemfontein regarding these dispute resolution mechanisms. The specific mechanisms under the Act are conciliation and arbitration as well as the Labour Court processes. The research also aimed to determine whether these- perceptions differed on the basis of biographical variables such as race, industry, level of management as well as size of the organisation, etc. A non-experimental exploratory, descriptive design was used. The sample population consisted of personnel practitioners in Bloemfontein with at least 2 years' experience as labour relations practitioners. The sampling strategy was convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents on aspects of conciliation, arbitration, the Labour Appeal Court. Descriptive statistics were used to record the perceptions of practitioners regarding the dispute resolution mechanisms. The findings of the study indicate that perceptions of the sample population are favourable and that there are differences, though not significant, according to industries, level of management and size of organisations, but not necessarily according to race. The study concludes with recommendations which generally focus on relationship building as a means of reducing and/or eliminating conflict in the workplace. In addition, the workplace needs to be transformed as a means of encouraging the relationship building process. Once this has been achieved, a performance evaluation programme for the CCMA should be put in place to identify any performance deficiencies and the appropriate training interventions should be selected to address the skills shortages of the appointed commissioners. In the event of these not addressing the identified problems, amendments to the Act may be considered and effected and, finally, the parties may contract out of the statutory dispute resolution institutions.
English: The workplace in South Africa has been polarised along racial lines, mainly as a result of separatist policies of the past. The resultant social, political, and economic environments created a negative organisational culture generally. This led to a lack of participation and lack of confidence between members of the communities as well as the absence of group identity. The new government has therefore had to embark on a transformation process in which the economic development of the disadvantaged black majority has become a dominant theme of the politically reconstructed South Africa. This has created perceptions that the government favours labour to the detriment of business and that the balance of power has shifted in favour of labour. The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 was passed in September 1995 and became effective on 11 November 1996. One of the objectives of this Act is to provide simple dispute resolution procedures. The centrepiece of the Act is the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). The CCMA and the Labour Court are two dispute resolution institutions. The research aimed to determine the perceptions of personnel practitioners towards the dispute resolution mechanisms of the Act. The project assessed the perceptions of personnel practitioners in Bloemfontein regarding these dispute resolution mechanisms. The specific mechanisms under the Act are conciliation and arbitration as well as the Labour Court processes. The research also aimed to determine whether these- perceptions differed on the basis of biographical variables such as race, industry, level of management as well as size of the organisation, etc. A non-experimental exploratory, descriptive design was used. The sample population consisted of personnel practitioners in Bloemfontein with at least 2 years' experience as labour relations practitioners. The sampling strategy was convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents on aspects of conciliation, arbitration, the Labour Appeal Court. Descriptive statistics were used to record the perceptions of practitioners regarding the dispute resolution mechanisms. The findings of the study indicate that perceptions of the sample population are favourable and that there are differences, though not significant, according to industries, level of management and size of organisations, but not necessarily according to race. The study concludes with recommendations which generally focus on relationship building as a means of reducing and/or eliminating conflict in the workplace. In addition, the workplace needs to be transformed as a means of encouraging the relationship building process. Once this has been achieved, a performance evaluation programme for the CCMA should be put in place to identify any performance deficiencies and the appropriate training interventions should be selected to address the skills shortages of the appointed commissioners. In the event of these not addressing the identified problems, amendments to the Act may be considered and effected and, finally, the parties may contract out of the statutory dispute resolution institutions.
Description
Dissertation (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--University of the Free State, 1998
Keywords
Industrial relations -- South Africa, Labor relations act -- Labor laws and legislation, Labor disputes -- South Africa