Research Repository

Post-School Education and Training (PSET)

Publications > Reports from research organisations

Understanding the efficiency and effectiveness of the dispute-resolution system in South Africa: An analysis of CCMA data

Date posted:

2022/11/01

Publication year:

2007

Corporate author/s:

University of Cape Town, School of Economics, Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU)

Person/s author/s:

Bhorat, Haroon; Ncube, Liberty; Pauw, Kalie

Output-type:

research report

Format:

pdf

While the economic growth performance in the first decade of democracy continues to be justifiably lauded, severe and seemingly intractable welfare challenges remain. Nowhere is this welfare need more acute than within the area of labour markets. An economy characterized by one of the highest unemployment rates in the world   officially at 26.7 per cent and 38.8 per cent when discouraged workers are included  is a stark reminder of the post-apartheid economy's challenge going forward. In turn however, the difficulties noted above within the labour market, have placed the idea of labour market reform  in particular labour regulatory reform high on the agenda of pertinent policy issues in South Africa. A combination of the intrinsic nature of these issues and the fact that the society is characterised by a strong, vocal trade union movement   has meant that reforming the labour market has become a highly contested policy issue in South Africa. This paper, while broadly located within this policy debate, is specifically focused on one aspect of the labour regulatory regime, namely the dispute resolution system. Hence, we attempt to understand the efficiency and effectiveness of the country's institutionalised dispute resolution body, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). A better and more informed understanding of the nature of dispute resolution and its determinants, it would seem, remains central to any detailed debate regarding labour market institutions in particular and labour market regulation in general. Ultimately then, the study intends to empirically verify the patterns of dispute referral, settlement and determination regionally, sectorally and historically. It should be noted at the outset, that this paper reflects, very overtly, an economic analysis and interpretation of dispute resolution in South Africa.
Download file

There are no related research posts.

There is no related news.

There are no related events.

Establishing a foundation for labour market information systems in South Africa >

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the key issues and problems in establishing a labour market information system in an emerging economy. The paper is structured as follows: section one considers some of the key high-level foundat...

Chasing credentials and mobility: Private higher education in South Africa >

This books brings a different set of lenses to bear on what has become the subject of intense contestation, of 'media hype', in South Africa: the private provision of higher education. This books seeks to provide a way to move beyond any polarisation...

Developing a framework for understanding SETA performance: Monitoring and Evaluating their role in skills planning, steering and enabling supply within their sector >

The paper begins by exploring the central issue highlighted in a number of research reports on the SETAs: the absence of a shared understanding of their role. The paper argues that multiple objectives have an adverse effect on the performance of the...

New TVET artisan bridging and qualifications >

This presentation highlights the new TVET artisan bridging and qualifications, including 7-System, alignment of the gamut for artisans, GTTP: workflow, knowledge modules, practical skill modules, worker experience modules, a Legend for Artisan Trade...

What Can TVET providers and employers do to enhance students' employability? >

This anecdote illustrates the indispensability of workplace learning to occupational competence and job-readiness. Labour-market experts commonly identify four pre-requisites for getting a job in the modern industrial workplace: technical occupationa...

Volume 1: An analysis of international practices on funding for post-school education and training >

This international review provides a snapshot of the different institutional and funding mechanisms in place to support the post-school education and training (PSET) system across a wide range of developed and developing countries. It also raises par...

A catchment study around the location of TVET colleges (South West Gauteng TVET College) >

The University of Western Cape requested a study on the Geographic Profiling of TVET colleges across South Africa. The purpose of this study was to profile each college to identify business and commercial activities within a nearby vicinity. As part...

Planning with purpose: The use of labour market intelligence for skills planning in South Africa >

This report is the final product of a 17 month-long Skills Planning Dialogue, funded by the EU-South Africa Dialogue Facility, with the aim of supporting the establishment by the Department of Higher Education and Training of a 'credible institutiona...

Regulatory

Navigation

Find research

More PSET-related links