Actors, or role-players, and stakeholders in employment relations Flashcards
What is the tripartite relationship?
This relationship between the state, the employers and employees is known as the ‘tripartite relationship’. The employers and employees are the primary participants and the state the secondary participant in this relationship.
What is an employer in the tripartite relationship?
Employers: It is the employer’s ideas, planning and willingness to take a risk (known as entrepreneurship) which give rise to a business. Because of this, the employer feels a right to control what happens in that business and to make all the important decisions.
Normal roles and tasks of the employer are delegated to a selected management team who in turn delegate certain responsibilities to middle management and supervisors. Managers see themselves as representatives of the employers (shareholders) and take on the same prerogative as the employers. They are also held responsible for the continued success of an undertaking.
These associations (external organisations) are usually formed in response to the collective representation of employees. They represent the interests of the employers on a collective basis. They may play a wider societal and political role.
What is an employee in the tripartite relationship?
An employee contracts to supply labour to an employer. Employees see themselves as indispensable to the conduct of a business and therefore as legitimate stakeholders who also deserve a say in how that business is run. Therefore, a power play develops between employers and employees.
Trade unions developed because of the power play between employers and employees. A trade union (an external organisation) represents the interests of their members (a group of employees) on a collective basis. The day-to-day presentation is left to shop stewards, elected by the trade union members.
What is the state in the tripartite relationship?
The State has a particular interest in the labour relationship for the following reasons:
·The peaceful conduct of that relationship will contribute to the economic wellbeing of the whole society.
·The power play between the two parties can influence the economic activity.
The State needs to ensure that the power play between the employers and the employees does not reach a stage where it is detrimental to the economy of the country. The State could therefore assume one of the following roles in this regard:
· A dominant role - setting all the rules and taking all the decisions that influence the labour relationship.
· A facilitator’s role - setting certain rules for the conduct of the relationship by establishing forums and procedures to facilitate the peaceful conduct of the relationship.
· No role at all, which, because of the importance of a harmonious labour relationship to society at large, seldom happens.
What is the pentagonal employment relationship?
Viewing employment relations from an open systems approach, there is not only an interplay between employment relations and other environmental forces and variables (like political, economic, social, technological, legal systems), but also between employment relations and the dynamics relating to customer satisfaction and international and local competition. This means the tripartite relationship must make way for a pentagonal relationship involving five parties
What is competitors in the pentagonal relationship?
In order to survive, any organisation has to be aware of what other organisations in the industry are doing/or not doing, because they can deliver new or alternative products/services which threaten the organisation.
What is customers in the pentagonal relationship?
Employees’ behaviour and attitude have a direct influence on customer service and satisfaction.
The people want or need the product.
What is Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)?
An integrated body for organised business in South Africa was created in 2003 to represent all employers’ organisations throughout South Africa to deal with the collective strength of trade union federations like COSATU and FEDUSA. This body is known as Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), which is a non-racial, umbrella business organisation. BUSA’s focus is to represent South Africa’s multifaceted business community on macro-economic and other issues that affect it at national and international levels.
BUSA represents business in NEDLAC on issues such as taxation, labour legislation, and business participation in and support for BEE strategies and processes. BUSA is also the principal representative of South African employers in international, sub-continental and continental organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
What are BUSA’s strategic objectives?
- Achieving a deracialized, vibrant, diverse and globally competitive economy.
-Boosting enterprise development and facilitating the transition of informal businesses into the formal economy.
-Creating a predictable , certain and enabling regulatory environment.
-Ensuring affordable, reliable and sustainable energy and infrastructure (technology, water and road transportation) to meet current and future needs.
-Contributing to a productive and stable labour market.
-Supporting a progressive tax system that supports inclusive growth objectives.
-Committing to trade policies that support South Africa’s developmental goals and promote inclusive growth.
Partnering with government to improve education and skills development for current and future work.
-Contributing to the creation of a comprehensive social security system at a pace that is affordable, sustainable and fiscally responsive.
-Cooperating with national business organisations and regional and international business groupings to advocate for regional and economic integration and improved local policies and conditions for businesses.
What is the Black Business Council (BBC)?
The Black Business Council (BBC) is a separate, independent membership-based organisation, which represents several professional, business associations and chambers with the purpose to advocate for transformation in the South African economy. “The main purpose of the BBC is to represent the interests of black business in the mainstream economy by uniting all affiliates behind a common vision and purpose and creating and driving programmes of action that position black business at the centre of economic growth and participation.
What is the difference between an employee and a independent contractor?
Employee:
-Object is the rendering of personal work-related services between employee party and employer party.
-The employee must render the work-related service at the behest of the employer party.
-The employer party must decide whether to have the particular employee render the work-related services
-The employee is obliged to obey lawful, reasonable instructions regarding the work to be done and the manner in which it is to be done.
-Relationship terminated by the death of the employee
-Relationship terminates on the completion of the agreed period
Independent contractor:
-Object is the provision of a specified work-related service or a certain specified work-related result or outcome.
-The independent contractor is not obliged to perform the work related to the service or result/outcome personally, unless otherwise agreed.
-The independent contractor is bound to perform specified work or deliver specified results within a specified or reasonable time.
-The independent contractor is not obliged to obey any instructions in terms of how the work is to be done or the result is to be attained.
-Relationship not terminated by the death of the contractor.
-Relationship terminates on completion of specified work or delivery/attainment of specified outcome/result.
What are the dimensions of employment relations?
Formal dimensions:
(structured organised and official)
-Employment contracts, labour laws and regulations, collective bargaining, grievances and disputes
Informal dimensions:
(dynamics not explicitly governed)
-Workplace culture, communication styles, leadership and management styles, mentoring and coaching, social events, office politics
