Workplace representation through the workplace forums in contemporary South Africa: opportunities and constraints

Abstract

This paper provides an assessment of the opportunities made available by the introduction, and constraints in the implementation of an effective system of workplace representation in South Africa (SA), as provided for by the 1995 Labour Relations Act (LRA). The historical experiences with workplace representation in SA are reviewed: both the works committees, the liaison committees and the works councils introduced by the former government legislation between the 1950s and early 1980s, as well as the management-initiated participation schemes introduced between the 1980s and early 1990s, with the Harmony Gold Mine (HGM) illustrating these latter participation schemes. International experiences with workplace representation are reviewed, with the main focus on the German case of co-determination. The concluding argument is that while the Act does provide a good opportunity for the creation of an effective system of representation in SA, the historically entrenched culture of adversarialism prevalent in most of SA workplaces could seriously undermine that opportunity.