Documents South Africa 141 results

"A comprehensive handbook that addresses the relationship between nature and labour from the point of view of workers as social actors against globalising environmental degradation
Provides a wide-ranging account that connects the policies and struggles of workers, peasants, and indigenous populations for a socially and environmentally sustainable form of production and livelihoods across the world
Takes a truly global perspective, incorporating perspectives from the Global North and Global South where critiques of and strategies against environmental degradation are often very different
An interdisciplinary approach to the subject allowing researchers and practitioners to engage and advance the creation of theory about the relationship"

"Data suggests that workplace bullying is prevalent. However, as many regard workplace bullying as a social matter of human behaviour, lawmakers and the legal fraternity in some jurisdictions, including South Africa, have thus far failed to implement legislative and regulatory measures to protect employees, employers and society at large from this devastating phenomenon. This article argues that bullying indeed poses a legal dilemma: Not all bullying deeds are necessarily illegal, yet their effects are devastating to victims. This constitutes a lacuna in the legal system, often leaving stakeholders without sufficient legal protection. In this contribution, the legal position on workplace bullying in South Africa, where the problem is prevalent, though attracting little attention thus far, is discussed against the backdrop of the position in the United States and other jurisdictions. It concludes by not only showing sufficient reason why employers, unions and the legal fraternity in South Africa (and elsewhere) should care about workplace bullying, but also by tendering suggestions as to how it could be actively dealt with and prohibited."

"The tragic events at the Marikana mine ( North-West Province, South Africa) in 2012 again underlined the vast inequalities that persist in South African society. Significant income differentials and disparities in quality of life remain pervasive in society, regardless of the fact that the statutory framework addresses unfair discrimination during recruitment, employment and termination. The South African regulatory framework extends beyond the workplace as a result of the Constitution that includes a Bill of Rights, along with generally applicable equality provisions, skills developments legislation, black economic empowerment legislation and sector-specific codes of conduct and charters. Regardless of this vast regulatory system, the achievement of equality or, arguably, a socially just society remains an elusive ideal for many South Africans. This contribution provides a brief overview of the statutory framework for promoting equality and preventing and eliminating unfair discrimination in South African workplaces. The contribution will highlight certain challenges that remain in the area of labour equality laws with regard to conceptual and application issues, and will argue that labour law in itself cannot address the problems facing a highly unequal society such as South Africa. However, where there are other non-discrimination laws and empowering statutes in place, greater emphasis must be placed on the coordination and integration of all relevant statutory instruments and on cultivating fundamental values and rights across the wide spectrum of society."

"The majority of domestic workers in South Africa are (black African) women. As long as women do not have the freedom to make their labour market choices, it cannot be said that they are empowered. Ideally, a move away from vulnerable employment into wage and salaried work would contribute towards the empowerment of women. However, the move from the agricultural sector to the services sector in private households hides the limited nature of women's empowerment. This article examines to what degree domestic workers in South Africa are afforded decent work institutionally. To this end, it considers four main challenges. First, the employment deficit: this means that people cannot find work or business opportunities in the formal economy. Second, the representational deficit: due to being unorganized, informal economy workers are excluded from (or under-represented in) social dialogue institutions and processes. Third, the rights deficit: workers' rights relating to freedom of association, collective bargaining, absence of forced labour, and discrimination are insufficient or non-existent. Fourth, the social protection deficit: clearly even though the workers in the domestic sector and informal economy are most in need of social protection, they are unable to access formal social protection schemes due to membership and contribution issues. It has been argued that when attempting to give meaning to the Decent Work Agenda, one may have regard to four strategic objectives, namely, promoting and realizing standards and fundamental principles and rights at work, creating opportunities for women (and men) to secure decent employment and income, enhancing the coverage and effectiveness of social protection for all, and strengthening tripartism and social dialogue. This paper analyses and critically evaluates how these strategic objectives have been pursued with respect to domestic workers and to what extent they have been achieved."