This book provides an overdue critical re-engagement with the analytical approach exemplified by the work of Harold Wolpe, who was a key theorist within the liberation movement. It probes the following broad questions: how do we understand the trajectory of the post-apartheid period, how did the current situation come about in the transformation, how does the current situation relate to how a post-apartheid society was conceived in anticipation, and what are the implications of what have been failed ambitions for progressives?

The contributions to this volume cohere around the following themes: labour and capital in post-apartheid South Africa, the post-apartheid South African economy, the state and transformation of South African society, and social policy in post-apartheid South Africa. The aim is not to provide a common or coherent theoretical perspective, but rather to probe a core problematic and set of theoretical concerns.

The contributing authors explore not only historical and contemporary specifics, but deploy and reflect on theoretical tools that allow us to make sense of those specifics and to engage with the dynamics of race and class, and the form and functioning of the state, including its articulation with an increasingly financialised form of global capitalism.

South African higher education students have for the years 2015 and 2016 stood up to demand not only a free education but a decolonised, African-focused education. The calls for decolonisation of knowledge are the ultimate call for freedom. Without the decolonisation of knowledge, Africans may feel their liberation is inchoate and their efforts to shed Western dominance all come to naught.

Over the years various African leaders including Steve Biko wrote about the need to decolonise knowledge. The call for decolonisation is largely being equated with the search for an African identity that looks critically at Western hegemony. Biko sought the black people to understand their origins; to understand black history and affirm black identity. These are all embedded in the struggle to decolonise and search for African values and identities.

The contributors in this book treat several but connected themes that define what Africa and the diaspora require for a society devoid of colonialism and ready for a renewed Africa. “The discussions we develop and the philosophies we adopt on Pan Africanism and decolonisation are due to a bigger vision and for many of us the destination is African renaissance”. Everyone has a role to play in realising African renaissance; government, churches, universities, schools, cultural organisations all have a role to play in this endeavour.

Employment relations, traditionally known as industrial or labour relations, forms an integral part of the activities of labour, employers and the government in business. It centres on balancing, integrating and reconciling the partly common and partly divergent interests of these parties. South African employment relations has reached the milestone of having been available for more than a quarter of a century and is the longest running book in this field in South Africa. This 8th edition of South African employment relations redefines the various role players in employment relations management and broadens the field to incorporate them. It brings the direction the labour market is going in terms of collective bargaining into sharper focus and proposes ways in which fair workplace relations can be established. It furthermore deals with the latest legislative developments, union activities and other contemporary issues. Besides the case studies and a comprehensive glossary, this edition now includes short inserts entitled "ER in practice" to highlight the challenges posed by industry and the business community, and to empower readers and practitioners to utilise the insights gained from these examples with confidence in their daily business activities. Lecturer support material is also available. South African employment relations is aimed at both students and practitioners in this field.

Although South Africa’s informal sector is small compared to other developing countries, it nevertheless provides livelihoods, employment and income for millions of workers and business owners. Almost half of informal-sector workers work in firms with employees. The annual entry of new enterprises is quite high, as is the number of informal enterprises that grow their employment. There is no shortage of entrepreneurship and desire to grow.

However, obstacles and constraints cause hardship and failure, pointing to the need for well-designed policies to enable and support the sector, rather than suppress it. The same goes for formalisation. Recognising the informal sector as an integral part of the economy, rather than ignoring it, is a crucial first step towards instituting a ‘smart’ policy approach.

The South African Informal Sector is strongly evidence- and data-driven, with substantial quantitative contributions combined with qualitative findings – suitable for an era of increased pressure for evidence-based policy-making – and utilises several disciplinary perspectives.

Labour Relations in Practice deals with the core labour and employment relations matters regularly encountered by Labour Relations and Human Resources officers, managers, union representatives, bargaining council functionaries and people in advisory services.

Now in its third edition, it contains actual cases heard by the CCMA and Labour Court; legislation updated to the end of 2018; skills development and the new emphasis on trades and occupations.

The topics covered include:

• the roles, rights and obligations of the various stakeholders in organisations
• the role of the state in the labour relationship and the legislation by which it attempts to regulate this relationship
• the role of collectives, such as trade unions and employer organisations, and the rights granted to them
• legal requirements for fair recruitment practices
• employment contracts
• the various acts that affect labour practices, including affirmative action and skills development
• conducting negotiations and dealing with employee grievances
• discipline at the workplace, dispute settlement and fair dismissal practice.

Sociopolitical occurrences in recent years have, if anything, brought to the fore the close relationship between developments in the labour market and progress on the socio-econo-political terrain. The ideological divides in South Africa are especially apparent in the labour market, and these compound the basic conflict between the objectives of protecting basic worker rights on the one hand, and increasing economic growth on the other. The South African labour market contains an abundance of information about labour markets in general and the South African labour market in particular. The South African labour market has a down-to-earth and practical approach. It considers the evidence and identifies some urgent discussion points about the sensitivity of employment to economic growth. Three appendix chapters deal extensively with the impact of globalisation on the labour market, how other countries have managed the challenges of globalisation, and consensus-seeking institutions such as Nedlac. Questions and study suggestions are included at the end of each chapter. The South African labour market is aimed at economics students as well as general readers wanting an overview of the South African labour market. The late Dr Frans Barker was a senior executive at the Chamber of Mines. During his career, he was also vice-president of the Economic Society of South Africa and president of the Industrial Relations Association of South Africa. He served on governing structures of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), was a commissioner for the Commission for Employment Equity and was also involved in Nedlac in various roles. Dr Barker lectured at a number of universities and was the author of several publications related to labour issues. Derek Yu is an associate professor at the Department of Economics at the University of the Western Cape. He has a decade of teaching experience in undergraduate and postgraduate Labour Economics, and has published comprehensively in this area. He is also the author of the first edition of Basic mathematics for economics students: theory and applications. Pietman Roos has a decade's experience in different civil society organisations including national government, news media and organised business. He has worked on economic policy formulation, commentary, negotiation and advocacy, and has lectured undergraduate economics and jurisprudence.

Labour Relations in Practice deals with the core labour and employment relations matters regularly encountered by labour relations and human resource officers, managers, union representatives, bargaining council functionaries and those in advisory services. Now in its fourth edition, it contains, inter alia, actual cases heard by the CCMA as well as the Labour Court legislation update to the end of 2022.

The topics covered include the following:

• The employment relation - a brief introduction
• The roles, rights and obligations of the various stakeholders in organisations
• The role of the State in the labour relationship and the legislation by which it attempts to regulate this relationship
• The role of collectives, such as trade unions and employer organisations, and the rights granted to them
• Legal requirements for fair recruitment practices
• Employment contracts
• The various Acts that affect labour practices, including affirmative action and skills development
• Conducting negotiations and dealing with employee grievances and discipline at the workplace, dispute settlement and fair dismissal practice
• The way forward in the employment relationship
• The text contains numerous practical examples, illustrative problems, actual court cases and scenarios

The legislative requirements and codes of good practice are explained in simple, accessible language. Examples of relevant policies are provided, and each chapter ends with a useful summary of the main learning points.

Labour Disrupted exposes the precariousness of union organisation and how labour movements have had to respond to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. It addresses issues related to the fourth industrial revolution on the working class, and the challenges of skills development and inclusiveness.

Labour Disrupted reflects on the past and the future of labour, primarily in South Africa but also globally. It focuses on how South Africa’s lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic further exposed key contradictions and challenges that labour movements face.

The contributions include a diverse range of topics currently engaged with by those actively engaged in the field of labour movement. Essays by academics and activists tackle thorny issues: from redefining democracy in South Africa, to experiences of inclusiveness (or lack thereof) in workplace environments by women, young people, migrant workers, LGBTI people and people living with disabilities. The volume addresses contemporary issues related to the use of technology and the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the youth and the working class, and the challenges of skills development and restructuring in the workplace.

Labour Disrupted shows new forms of organising and alliances that labour movements are involved in to address issues of social justice in education, health and community solidarity.

Major scholars examine different aspects of the ICU's record in the 1920s and 1930s, assessing its achievements and its failures in relation to the post-apartheid present.

The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU)―the largest black political organization in southern Africa before the 1940s―was active in six African colonies, as well as in global trade union networks. Labour Struggles in Southern Africa provides fresh perspectives on the ICU, exploring its record in the 1920s and 1930s and assessing its achievements and failures in relation to the present.

In its One Big Union approach to protecting workers' rights, its emphasis on economic freedoms, its internationalism, and its robust protection of women and migrant workers, the ICU fundamentally challenged the axioms, tactics, and programs of rival organizations like the African National Congress. Reflecting that, this book demonstrates that the legacies of the ICU continue to be of crucial contemporary relevance.

Changes in the international environment, from the stagflation of the 1970s to the globalization of capital markets in the 1990s, have challenged the ability of all advanced welfare states to maintain postwar achievements of full employment, social security and social equality. Nevertheless, national responses and actual performance differed greatly. This two-volume study examines the adjustment to external economic challenges over three decades in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom Volume I presents comparative analyses of differences in the vulnerabilities and capabilities of these countries, in the effectiveness of their policy responses, and in the role of values and discourses in the politics of adjustment Volume II presents in-depth analyses of the experiences of the countries, including special studies on the participation of women in the labour market, early retirement, the liberalization of public services and international tax competition.

The Arab world increasingly falls into two divisions, the capital-poor and the capital-rich countries (where capital means, in essence, oil). In the capital-rich countries shortage of labour is the chief constraint on growth. In the capital-poor countries analysis of the labour market is equally central, as shortage of labour compounds the already existing problem of shortage of capital. This book surveys the labour markets of the Arab world state by state, evaluating them by demand and supply analysis, and analysing the different elements in trends of employment. It forecasts the areas of stress in the next decade and suggests ways of minimising them. The book, based on much previously unpublished information and on extensive on-the-spot research in the respective Arab countries, sets out the economic and social conditions which underly the impending crisis of development in the Arab region. First published in 1980.

Contingent Workers' Voice in Southern Europe investigates the manifold challenges posed by the continued expansion of the platform economy, the rise of non-standard forms of employment, and the diversification of work identities. Leading authors explore the potentialities and barriers for collective protection and representation of contingent workers in the platform economy, based on the experiences, needs, and aspirations of workers in Italy and Spain. Chapters undertake in-depth analyses of a diverse and innovative variety of initiatives for the protection, organization, and representation of contingent workers. The book ultimately constructs a framework to interpret the evolution of contingent workers' experiences, allowing trade unions, social movements, and cooperatives to develop organizational and representative practices that better respond to their needs. This incisive book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of sociology, international relations, political science, and labour law. Its practical insights will also enable trade unionists, activists, and policymakers in the field of labour relations to make informed decisions and identify possible avenues for development.

Presenting a contemporary outlook on how organizations must adjust to the 'Era of Me', this timely book analyses contemporary learning paradigms, sustainability, performance management, and theories of work-related attitudes to promote organizational culture and productivity in workplaces in the volatile modern era. In the 21st century, the organizational environment in most western-oriented societies is dynamic, multifaceted, complex, and ambiguous. This comprehensive book explores the unique challenges faced by modern organizations due to increasingly varied, flexible, and virtual work arrangements, shifting employee characteristics, technological developments, increased competition, and enhanced diversity in business. Covering a broad range of salient topics and shifting the employee-employer relationship to one of mutual goals and trust, chapters challenge old management styles while recommending novel future methods of engineering the world of work in an era of constant change. Using a symbiosis of research, theory, and practice, Engineering the World of Work will be an invaluable resource for students, and scholars of psychology, organizational studies and business administration. It will also be an essential guide to managers, stakeholders, consultants, and policymakers who are interested in practical ways of adjusting to the changes of the 21st century.

This timely book evaluates international human capital policies, offering a comparative perspective on global efforts to generate new ideas and novel ways of thinking about human capital. Examining educational reforms, quality of education and links between education and socio-economic environments, chapters contrast Western experiences and perspectives with those of industrializing economies in Asia, focusing particularly on Korea and the USA. Contributors analyse trends in Korean education, including state, charter and private education, higher education and student loans and debt, and provide policy prescriptions for the improvement of higher education financing in the USA. Offering theoretical insights into the relationship between socio-economic and educational benefits for children and young people, and human capital formation, further chapters consider recent empirical evidence on disadvantaged people in the USA, before broadening the scope of analysis to consider the effects of human capital on industrial structure and productivity among OECD countries. Providing a unique and incisive understanding of human capital formation in the context of education, this book lays out guidance to scholars and researchers of human capital, particularly those concentrating on policies in Korea and the USA. It will also be useful to policymakers involved in economic and education policy.

Since the 1970s early exit from work has become a major challenge in modern welfare states. Governments, employers, and unions alike once thought of early retirement as a peaceful solution to the economic problems of mass unemployment and industrial restructuring. Today governments and international organizations advocate the postponement of retirement and an increase in activity among older workers. Comparing the USA, eight European countries, and Japan, this book demonstrates significant cross-national differences in early retirement across countries and over time. The study evaluates the impact of major variations in welfare regimes, production systems, and labor relations. It stresses the importance of the 'pull factor' of extensive welfare state provisions, particularly in Continental Europe; the 'push factor' of labor shedding strategies by firms, particularly in Anglo-American market economies; and the role of employers and worker representatives in negotiating retirement policies, particularly in coordinated market economies. Over the last three decades, early retirement has become a popular social policy and employment practice in the workplace, adding to the fiscal crises and employment problems of today's welfare states. Attempts to reverse early retirement policies have led to major reform debates. Unilateral government policies to cut back on social benefits have not had the expected employment results due to resistance from employers, workers, and their organizations. Successful reforms require the cooperation of both sides. This study provides comprehensive empirical analysis and a balanced approach to studying both the pull and the push factors affecting early exit from work needed to understand the development of early retirement regimes.

Over the past century, new farming methods, feed additives, and social and economic structures have radically transformed agriculture around the globe, often at the expense of human health. In Chickenizing Farms and Food, Ellen K. Silbergeld reveals the unsafe world of chickenization-big agriculture's top-down, contract-based factory farming system-and its negative consequences for workers, consumers, and the environment. Drawing on her deep knowledge of and experience in environmental engineering and toxicology, Silbergeld examines the complex history of the modern industrial food animal production industry and describes the widespread effects of Arthur Perdue's remarkable agricultural innovations, which were so important that the US Department of Agriculture uses the term chickenization to cover the transformation of all farm animal production. Silbergeld tells the real story of how antibiotics were first introduced into animal feeds in the 1940s, which has led to the emergence of multi-drug-resistant pathogens, such as MRSA. Along the way, she talks with poultry growers, farmers, and slaughterhouse workers on the front lines of exposure, moving from the Chesapeake Bay peninsula that gave birth to the modern livestock and poultry industry to North Carolina, Brazil, and China. Arguing that the agricultural industry is in desperate need of reform, the book searches through the fog of illusion that obscures most of what has happened to agriculture in the twentieth century and untangles the history of how laws, regulations, and policies have stripped government agencies of the power to protect workers and consumers alike from occupational and food-borne hazards. Chickenizing Farms and Food also explores the limits of some popular alternatives to industrial farming, including organic production, nonmeat diets, locavorism, and small-scale agriculture. Silbergeld's provocative but pragmatic call to action is tempered by real challenges: how can we ensure a safe and accessible food system that can feed everyone, including consumers in developing countries with new tastes for western diets, without hurting workers, sickening consumers, and undermining some of our most powerful medicines?

This comprehensive Handbook explores the complex and volatile debate over globalisation and labour standards. It offers key insights into the impact of globalisation on workers, the obligations of corporations and international legal bodies in protecting workers' rights and maximising the opportunities offered by international trade and investment. Multidisciplinary contributions illustrate the benefits and drawbacks of globalisation for labour standards, demonstrating the limitations of recent initiatives to improve working conditions. The chapters pay close attention to the buying practices of multinational corporations at the top of global value chains, the priorities of which too often diverge from the codes of corporate social responsibility, as well as the inadequate actions of national governments in enforcing labour standards, including through trade agreements and sanctions. Offering an impressive overview of the key actors in the protection of workers' rights, the Handbook provides an essential reference point and research agenda for scholars and researchers of global economics and labour policy, highlighting crucial gaps in the field that are in need of further study. Its practical, empirical insights will also benefit practitioners and policy-makers working in human rights and labour advocacy, as well as trade specialists and political and economic commentators.

In Precarious Battle tells how labour broking was defeated in the South African Post Office (SAPO). Labour broking has become synonymous with worker exploitation. By 2011, a third of SAPO’s workforce was employed through labour brokers. These ‘casuals’ worked alongside permanent employees, some for over a decade, but for a quarter of the salary.

David Dickinson shares the story of how labour broking provided cheap and compliant labour, and how the use of labour brokers in SAPO divided the workplace and the workforce. He charts the attempts of casuals to organise within the law and how their efforts were defeated at every turn. He describes the increasing ferocity of the wildcat strikes that followed and explains how eventually 294 casuals, the Mabarete, fought their own battle and ended labour broking.

This book reflects on how labour broking created misery for those trapped in precarious employment, how the Constitution failed casual workers and how the South African industrial relations system is unravelling.

This timely and perceptive book addresses the issues surrounding the adequacy of old age income for future pensioners worldwide. It highlights how today's young people are confronted with the simultaneous challenges of increasing employment uncertainty and declining pension generosity - topics which are highly relevant in contemporary welfare states. This pivotal study of the relationship between the current labour market and future pensions explores the ways in which public policies relating to education, employment, and welfare work to sustain a decent living standard during retirement. Using a diverse range of comparative studies across a multitude of countries and nation-specific case studies, chapters consider the influence of institutions and social, cultural, and economic norms on public pensions and retirement saving behaviours in young adults. Providing a valuable insight into contemporary research findings, this innovative book will be essential reading for students and scholars in the areas of welfare states, labour economics, pensions, and the sociology of youth. Policymakers in these fields will also benefit from its analysis of sustainable pension policy development.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. Providing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary overview of the gig economy from both a labour and employment perspective, this Research Agenda goes beyond the question of the employment status of platform workers. It investigates how the gig economy is changing the way people work, how the platforms' business models are spreading in our economies, and what labour and social institutions are needed to respond to the challenges that platform work raises. Covering key issues such as algorithmic management, discrimination, occupational health and safety, casual work and collective labour rights, the authors challenge the narrative that the gig economy is a set of work arrangements that cannot be regulated through existing labour legislation and governance forms. The impact of the gig economy in developing countries and the regulation of global supply changes in platform work are also addressed. With contributions from world-leading authors, this Research Agenda will be crucial reading for scholars of labour and employment law, sociologists, economists and industrial relations specialists.

This incisive Handbook offers a timely and critical analysis of the gendered nature of public sector employment. Bringing together key theoretical, conceptual, and empirical research from around the world, Hazel Conley and Paula Koskinen Sandberg examine the ways in which female public sector workers experience intersectional discrimination in the workplace. Covering key sites of employment for women across the globe, the Handbook considers a comprehensive range of gendered public sector occupations. Chapters investigate how women's employment in public services is influenced by complex political and economic tensions, exploring core issues such as the relationship between gender, ethnicity, occupational segregation and work-life balance, flexible working, and workplace bullying; gendered pay and pension inequality; the sources of feminist activism in public sector employment; and the impact of the pandemic on feminised public sector occupations. Ultimately, the Handbook highlights that while change is possible, it will require a radical rethinking of how public services are valued and funded in society. Providing cutting-edge analysis and empirical data on gender and public sector employment, this Handbook will be an essential resource for academics and researchers interested in the role of the State as Employer. Its thought-provoking yet accessible insights into gendered employment will further benefit students of social policy, gender politics, employment relations, and the sociology of work.

Providing an insightful analysis of the key issues and significant trends relating to labour within the platform economy, this Modern Guide considers the existing comparative evidence covering all world regions. It also provides an in-depth look at digital labour platforms in their historical, economic and geographical contexts. Highlighting the diversity of experience of platform work, case studies illustrate how general trends play out, both in online and location-based labour platforms, across the globe. Chapters illustrate a need for a post-pandemic regulatory requirement of digital labour platforms at different policy levels, whilst providing a general overview of key topics. Interlinking contributions with a global scope and coverage identify the challenges faced and offer thoughtful regulatory solutions. This engaging book will be an invaluable resource for academics of labour economics, legal and business studies and sociology. It will also benefit policy makers in social and political geography and political science looking for a deeper understanding of the topic.

With a down-to-earth and practical approach that is both refreshing and inspiring, this revised edition of The South African labour market contains an abundance of information about labour markets in general, as well as the South African labour market in particular. It successfully fills a serious void in comprehensive, objective literature on this topic. The labour market and labour policies are in constant flux, with the result that fairly substantial changes have been made to ensure that this revised edition is positioned squarely in the middle of labour debates currently raging in South Africa. A chapter is specially dedicated to collective bargaining and the impact of unions on the labour market. It also covers strike action in South Africa and looks at the controversy surrounding bargaining councils. Labour market flexibility has become an important public focal point with the ANC publishing some important position papers on the matter and notable international organisations also referring to it in the context of South Africa's labour markets. This is part of the broader debate on ways to increase productivity. Formal employment is said to have increased substantially since the advent of democracy. The book considers the evidence of this and comes to some disturbing conclusions about the sensitivity of employment to economic growth. The book deals extensively with the impact of globalisation on the labour market and how other countries have managed the challenges of globalisation. Other topics include affirmative action in South Africa compared to Malaysia, and whether consensus-seeking institutions such as Nedlac still have a role to play. The book is generally accessible, but without sacrificing the firm academic foundation required to understand the operation of labour markets. All in all, this book is a mine of information, set out in a user-friendly manner, so that even the uninitiated will be able to understand the issues at hand. The content provides the reader with more than sufficient material for intelligent participation in debates and decisions regarding the labour market. Contents include the following: Unique characteristics of the labour market; The impact of HIV and Aids; Employment in the formal and informal sectors; Wages and the cost of labour; Addressing the challenges of globalisation; Unemployment in South Africa; Human capital and the demand for skilled workers; Inequalities and discrimination.