Chapter 2 Flashcards
What does the Population Registration Act of 1950 talk about?
It mandated the classification and registration of every South African citizen based on their racial characteristics.
This racial classification divided the population into distinct groups, primarily White, Black, and Coloured, with later additions like Indian.
The act formed the basis for numerous other discriminatory laws that determined where people could live, work, and what rights they held.
What was the main objective of the Industrial Conciliation Act?
Was to provide a framework to institutionalise collective bargaining, if employers and trade unions met to negotiate, there was always a chance that they could reach an agreement and avert a possible strike action. Thus resulting in the ICA anticipating situations where collevtive bargaining would not succeed, and in the absence of an agreement, it had put in place procedures to be followed before embarking on a strike or lockout.
To support the ICA objectives, the Act introduced which procedures:
a) Trade unions to be registered,
b) Industrial councils for collective bargaining to be esthablished
c) Concilliation boards to be esthablished on an ad hoc basis to settle disputes in sectors where there were no industrial councils.
The commision reported, which led to minimum wages being prescribed for less skilled workers that were inadequate to maintain a decent standard of living. With the ammendment of the ICA in 1937, which kept its fundamental features in place, which two important innovations emerged?
- An exemption process and
- The appointment of a labour inspector to represent the interests of African workers in negotiations in an industrial council.
Who appoints the Labour Inspector?
The Minister of Employment and Labour
What did the ammendments of the ICA in 1956 include?
- An express prohibition on the registration of new multiracial trade unions and
- A requirement that existing registered unions:
– establish seperate branches for different race groups
— Hold seperate branch meetings, and
– only permit white workers to sit on unions executive commitees.
Wiehahn Commission
It was appointed to investigate the state of labour relations. The WC began its work in 1977 and reported in 1979, marking watershed moment for labour relations in the country. Two of the Commission recommendations worth nothing are that:
1. The definition of employee be ammended to include African workers and
2. An industrial court be established with jurisdiction in resspect of unfair labour practices.
Give the timeline of historical events that shaped South Africas Labour Law
1652-=Dutch arrived at the Cape
1834= Slavery Abolished
1841=First master and servant introduced
1867= Discovery of diamonds
1896= Workmen’s compensation in Natal the first of a series of social security developments.
1911= Native Labour Regulation Act
1924= ICA passed
1937= Exemptions and inspectorate
1952= Loophole closed to exclude African woman
1953= Native Labour (Settlement of Disputes) Act
1956= Ammendments to ICA consolidates dual system of labour relations.
1974= Last of the master servant laws abolished
1977= Wiehahn Commision
1979-83= The ammendment of the LRA
1988= LRA
1990= Laboria Minute
1992= NEF
1993= Interim Constitution
1994= GNU, RDP, NEDLAC
