, PLEASE USE THIS DOCUMENT AS A GUIDE TO ANSWER YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Assignment Introduction
UASA is undergoing a profound transformation driven by rapid advances in automation and digital
innovation, which is reshaping the nature of work within the organisation. While management
emphasises transparency, internal cohesion, and skills development, persistent tensions with
organised labour reveal critical gaps in the way employment relations are managed. These challenges
are exacerbated by inconsistent approaches to union engagement, dispute resolution, and change
management across departments. In this context, a formalised and strategically aligned labour
relations policy is essential to navigate the complexities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
This assignment explores the strategic importance of such a policy, proposes key components for its
development, and offers recommendations for embedding the labour relations strategy into UASA’s
broader organisational framework to ensure stability, fairness, and sustainable transformation.
Question 1: Labour relations perspective
1.1. Critically compare how UASA’s current labour relations approach, as described in the
scenario, would be interpreted through a pluralist and a radical frame of reference. In your
response, reflect on how each perspective would shape the understanding of conflict, perspective
on trade union involvement, goals and values of employers and employees, and strikes.
Pluralist Frame of Reference
From the pluralist perspective, society is seen as comprising various competing interest groups,
including employers and employees, and conflict is regarded as an inherent and legitimate aspect of
the employment relationship (Bendix 2022). Pluralists believe that while employers and employees
have fundamentally different goals, they are interdependent and must find compromises to ensure
organisational survival. UASA’s stated aim to “minimise conflict through transparent leadership and
ongoing communication” aligns superficially with pluralist ideals, as it suggests an acceptance of
conflict and a desire to manage it constructively. However, its emphasis on “consultative
engagement over formal collective bargaining” and framing transformation as a “strategic business
imperative, not a negotiation” indicates a reluctance to fully embrace the pluralist principle of robust,
negotiated conflict resolution (Finnemore, Koekemoer & Joubert 2018). The increasing number of
disputes about redeployment, job grading, and severance packages referred to the CCMA reflects a
failure to effectively institutionalise conflict management through mutually agreed-upon mechanisms,
thus undermining trust and procedural fairness among employees.
Pluralists view trade unions as legitimate, necessary actors representing worker interests and
providing a counterbalance to employer power. UASA’s formal recognition of multiple unions and
participation in the Automotive Industry Bargaining Council aligns with this principle. Nonetheless,
the frustration expressed by union delegates that the Joint Labour-Management Transformation
Forum is “symbolic rather than substantive” and has limited influence over final decisions suggests
an attempt to restrict union power and avoid genuine collective bargaining. This undermines the
pluralist emphasis on ensuring unions have substantive roles in decision-making (Bendix 2022).
Assignment Introduction
UASA is undergoing a profound transformation driven by rapid advances in automation and digital
innovation, which is reshaping the nature of work within the organisation. While management
emphasises transparency, internal cohesion, and skills development, persistent tensions with
organised labour reveal critical gaps in the way employment relations are managed. These challenges
are exacerbated by inconsistent approaches to union engagement, dispute resolution, and change
management across departments. In this context, a formalised and strategically aligned labour
relations policy is essential to navigate the complexities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
This assignment explores the strategic importance of such a policy, proposes key components for its
development, and offers recommendations for embedding the labour relations strategy into UASA’s
broader organisational framework to ensure stability, fairness, and sustainable transformation.
Question 1: Labour relations perspective
1.1. Critically compare how UASA’s current labour relations approach, as described in the
scenario, would be interpreted through a pluralist and a radical frame of reference. In your
response, reflect on how each perspective would shape the understanding of conflict, perspective
on trade union involvement, goals and values of employers and employees, and strikes.
Pluralist Frame of Reference
From the pluralist perspective, society is seen as comprising various competing interest groups,
including employers and employees, and conflict is regarded as an inherent and legitimate aspect of
the employment relationship (Bendix 2022). Pluralists believe that while employers and employees
have fundamentally different goals, they are interdependent and must find compromises to ensure
organisational survival. UASA’s stated aim to “minimise conflict through transparent leadership and
ongoing communication” aligns superficially with pluralist ideals, as it suggests an acceptance of
conflict and a desire to manage it constructively. However, its emphasis on “consultative
engagement over formal collective bargaining” and framing transformation as a “strategic business
imperative, not a negotiation” indicates a reluctance to fully embrace the pluralist principle of robust,
negotiated conflict resolution (Finnemore, Koekemoer & Joubert 2018). The increasing number of
disputes about redeployment, job grading, and severance packages referred to the CCMA reflects a
failure to effectively institutionalise conflict management through mutually agreed-upon mechanisms,
thus undermining trust and procedural fairness among employees.
Pluralists view trade unions as legitimate, necessary actors representing worker interests and
providing a counterbalance to employer power. UASA’s formal recognition of multiple unions and
participation in the Automotive Industry Bargaining Council aligns with this principle. Nonetheless,
the frustration expressed by union delegates that the Joint Labour-Management Transformation
Forum is “symbolic rather than substantive” and has limited influence over final decisions suggests
an attempt to restrict union power and avoid genuine collective bargaining. This undermines the
pluralist emphasis on ensuring unions have substantive roles in decision-making (Bendix 2022).
