A legal analysis of the adversarial nature of collective bargaining

Abstract

The principle of collective bargaining may be regarded as one of the major institutions of employment relationships as it plays a pivotal role in regulating and restoring the employment relationship between the employer and the employee. The right to strike is of importance and is central to collective bargaining as without the right to strike collective bargaining would not be effective. South African collective bargaining is characterized by an adversarial nature which means that parties "haggle and wrangle" in wanting their demands met. Several factors which range from historical facts to legislation contribute towards collective bargaining being adversarial. These adversarial aspects have caused many to question the place of this type of negotiation in today's world of globalisation. It is argued that the current adversarial collective bargaining is no longer compatible with today's corporate world, which seeks dialogue between employees and employers. The unrest that the labour industry has witnessed in the past few years can be attributed to the failure of adversarial bargaining to resolve disputes amicably which is in line with the objectives of the LRA. Adversarial collective bargaining presents several challenges that have varying implications which need to be addressed. Die beginsel van gesamentlike bedinging kan dalk gesien word as een van die hoofinstellings van werknemingsverhoudinge aangesien dit ‘n sleutelrol speel in die regulering en herstel van die werkverhouding tussen die werkgewer en die werknemer. Die reg om te staak is belangrik en sentraal tot gesamentlike bedinging aangesien gesamentike bedinging nie effektief sal wees as die reg tot staking nie bestaan nie. Suid-Afrikaanse gesamentlike bedinging word gekenmerk deur ‘n vyandige aard, wat beteken dat beide partye stry en baklei om hulle doelwitte te bereik.Verskeie faktore, wat wissel van historiese feite tot wetgewing, dra by tot die vyandige aard van gesamentlike bedinging. Hierdie vyandige aspekte het daartoe gelei dat baie mense vrae vra oor die plek van hierdie soort onderhandeling in vandag se globaliserende wêreld. Daar word aangevoer dat die huidige vyandige gesamentlike bedinging nie meer in pas is met vandag se korporatiewe wêreld wat dialoog tussen werknemers en werkgewers nastreef nie. Die onrus wat die arbeidsindustrie in die laaste paar jaar gesien het kan toegeskryf word aan die onvermoë van vyandige bedinging om dispute op te los op ‘n vriendskaplike wyse wat in lyn is met die doelwitte van die LRA. Vyandige gesamentlike bedinging bied verskeie uitdagings wat uiteenlopende implikasies het en wat aandag verg.