LRM4801
Assignment 2
Unique code:
Due 7 July 2025
,LRM4801 – Assignment 2
Due: 7 July 2025
Navigating Automation and Labour Relations: A Strategic Analysis of Ubuntu
AutoTech South Africa’s Digital Transformation
Question 1: Labour Relations Perspective
1.1 Comparative Analysis: Pluralist vs Radical Frames
Conflict
Within the pluralist framework, the employment relationship is characterised by a
diversity of interests between different workplace stakeholders, notably between
management and employees. Conflict is seen as inevitable but manageable, arising
not from malice or exploitation, but from legitimate differences in objectives. In the case
of Ubuntu AutoTech South Africa (UASA), the company’s digital transformation and
increased automation reveal pre-existing tensions between productivity goals and
employee job security. From a pluralist perspective, such tension is neither fatal nor
irreconcilable—it signals the need for structured negotiation mechanisms, such as
collective bargaining and joint consultative forums, to ensure mutual
accommodation and industrial harmony (Bendix, 2019).
Conversely, the radical frame, grounded in Marxist theory, perceives conflict as a
systemic and perpetual feature of capitalist economies. Radical theorists argue that
the automation initiatives pursued by UASA are not simply efficiency measures but part
of a broader strategy to maximize capital accumulation and minimize labour costs,
thereby entrenching class divisions. In this view, technological change becomes a tool
for intensifying exploitation and reducing the bargaining power of labour. Therefore, no
amount of consultation or negotiation can address the structural inequalities
embedded in capitalist production; instead, transformative change requires a
fundamental redistribution of power and ownership (Hyman, 1975).
, Trade Union Involvement
From a pluralist lens, trade unions are seen as legitimate and necessary stakeholders
within the industrial relations system. Their role is to represent employee interests,
facilitate dialogue, and negotiate collective agreements that balance employer and
employee needs. In the context of UASA, unions would be expected to participate in
shaping automation strategies, protecting employment conditions, and ensuring fair
transitions through mechanisms such as reskilling initiatives or redeployment
policies.
In contrast, the radical approach casts trade unions in a more confrontational light.
While acknowledging their potential to challenge managerial authority, radical theorists
often view unions as being constrained by institutional frameworks that limit their
capacity to effect real change. In situations like UASA’s, where automation threatens
widespread job displacement, radicals would argue that unions must move beyond
procedural engagement and adopt mobilisation strategies that resist the
commodification of labour. This may include advocating for democratic control of
technology, public ownership, or broader socio-economic reforms that challenge the
capitalist status quo.
Assignment 2
Unique code:
Due 7 July 2025
,LRM4801 – Assignment 2
Due: 7 July 2025
Navigating Automation and Labour Relations: A Strategic Analysis of Ubuntu
AutoTech South Africa’s Digital Transformation
Question 1: Labour Relations Perspective
1.1 Comparative Analysis: Pluralist vs Radical Frames
Conflict
Within the pluralist framework, the employment relationship is characterised by a
diversity of interests between different workplace stakeholders, notably between
management and employees. Conflict is seen as inevitable but manageable, arising
not from malice or exploitation, but from legitimate differences in objectives. In the case
of Ubuntu AutoTech South Africa (UASA), the company’s digital transformation and
increased automation reveal pre-existing tensions between productivity goals and
employee job security. From a pluralist perspective, such tension is neither fatal nor
irreconcilable—it signals the need for structured negotiation mechanisms, such as
collective bargaining and joint consultative forums, to ensure mutual
accommodation and industrial harmony (Bendix, 2019).
Conversely, the radical frame, grounded in Marxist theory, perceives conflict as a
systemic and perpetual feature of capitalist economies. Radical theorists argue that
the automation initiatives pursued by UASA are not simply efficiency measures but part
of a broader strategy to maximize capital accumulation and minimize labour costs,
thereby entrenching class divisions. In this view, technological change becomes a tool
for intensifying exploitation and reducing the bargaining power of labour. Therefore, no
amount of consultation or negotiation can address the structural inequalities
embedded in capitalist production; instead, transformative change requires a
fundamental redistribution of power and ownership (Hyman, 1975).
, Trade Union Involvement
From a pluralist lens, trade unions are seen as legitimate and necessary stakeholders
within the industrial relations system. Their role is to represent employee interests,
facilitate dialogue, and negotiate collective agreements that balance employer and
employee needs. In the context of UASA, unions would be expected to participate in
shaping automation strategies, protecting employment conditions, and ensuring fair
transitions through mechanisms such as reskilling initiatives or redeployment
policies.
In contrast, the radical approach casts trade unions in a more confrontational light.
While acknowledging their potential to challenge managerial authority, radical theorists
often view unions as being constrained by institutional frameworks that limit their
capacity to effect real change. In situations like UASA’s, where automation threatens
widespread job displacement, radicals would argue that unions must move beyond
procedural engagement and adopt mobilisation strategies that resist the
commodification of labour. This may include advocating for democratic control of
technology, public ownership, or broader socio-economic reforms that challenge the
capitalist status quo.
