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Labor-Management Relations and the Collective Bargaining Process

Labor-Management Relations and the Collective Bargaining Process

Familiarizes students with the practice of labor-management relations in the United States. The nature of labor-management conflict, the development of the US labor movement, and a comparison to other Western labor movements provides the theoretical and historical framework needed to assess the effectiveness of current practice and trends in the development of new practices and institutions. The major areas of study are the tactics and strategies of management and union representatives and the legal and economic constraints on their behavior in the organization of unions, contract negotiation, and contract administration and interpretation.
 

HR Practitioners, non-HR Managers and trade union representatives who need to gain an extensive and up-to-date understand of HR, Labour Relations and Labour Law issues.

A test on Labour Law will be written three weeks after the course. Learners will also be required to submit applied assignments on Labour Relations & Human Resource Management issues.

• Certificates of Compliance will be awarded to successful candidates.
• Credits towards the Management Development Diploma Programme (Human Resources Management & Labour Relations modules)
• The following credits in the Arts Faculty of the NMMU can be earned**:
  Industrial Law – JHI 101 & JHI 102 (8 credits) &
  Labour Relations (skills training): SSS210 (10 credits)

** Participants in the course are advised that the above arrangement in no way changes normal admission requirements for degree studies at the University. Those who are accepted for degree studies and who have been awarded the Certificate in Labour Relations, Labour Law and Human Resources Management may use the credits earned towards their degree. The Certificate is not in itself however a qualification for admission to degree studies.

The learner will be able to:

• Organise and store knowledge on workplace procedures, which allows for easy retrieval and sharing with others.
• Conduct relevant research with the purpose of analysing contemporary events against theoretical concepts.
• Debate developments in labour relations and understand different theoretical approaches to the subject.

• Introduction to human resources management & labour relations
• A short history of South African labour relations
• The role of government in labour relations
• Trade unions internationally and in South Africa
• Employers and employer organizations
• HRM and labour relations in a changing environment

• Sources of law
• The contract of employment
• Basic Conditions of Employment Act
• Unfair dismissal
• Unfair labour practice
• Discrimination and the Employment
• Collective Labour Law
  - NEDLAC
  - Collective bargaining & collective agreements
  - Strikes & lockouts under the Labour Relations Act (LRA)
  - Dispute Resolution under the LRA: CCMA, Bargaining Councils, the Courts

• Collective Bargaining
• Employee participation: direct & indirect
• Nature and contents of recognition and procedural agreements
• Nature and contents of substantive agreements
• Strikes and lockouts
• Understanding the negotiation process
• Effective grievance handling
• Effective management of discipline and performance problems
• Effective responses to workforce reductions
• Good practice in relation to HIV/AIDS

Introduction to Human Resources

• HR Management cycle
• Procurement
• Interviewing process
• Referencing
• Medical examinations
• Induction of employees
• Employee replacement
• Training and development
• Human asset management strategies
• Performance management
• Job evaluation
• Promotions, demotions, transfers & layoffs
• Ending employment relationships
• Employment contract

Competency based recruitment, selection and interviewing

• Pre-assessment test
• Global view of selection
• Legislation requirements of selection
• Pre-selection and Privacy Policy
• Competency profile
• Assessment in selection
• Interviewing skills
• Role-play and assessment

Training and development

• Introduction to SAQA and the NQF
• Unit standards
• Qualifications
• Learnerships
• Competence: The heart of the transformation strategy
• Assessment

Integrated human asset management

• A skills development strategy for South Africa
• Affirmative action as a strategy
• Employment equity as a strategy for development
• Integrated skills planning
• Succession planning
• Towards an integrated human asset development strategy

Managing employee performance

• Productivity improvement
• Performance management
• Developing performance objectives
• Job evaluation
• Job descriptions
• Competency profiles
• The performance appraisa