COURSE OVERVIEW

This 2 - day course is aimed at giving new HR recruits, Line Managers and HR Professionals, Supervisors and Team Leaders with limited exposure to industrial and employee relations, an introduction and overview.  Mostly the delegates will be introduced to terminology and basic concepts in the IR environment, whilst also looking at the external forces that impact on IR in SA.  The course deal with power dynamics and wage negotiations in a unionised environment. At the end of the course the delegates will be better equipped to know their rights and obligations in the workplace and how to address problems which may have legal implications, and thus avoid costly litigation.   

 

CONTENT / OUTCOMES (Know, Do & Feel)

KNOW:

• The basic concept of ER e.g. conflict, power, negotiation, consultation, industrial action, substantive negotiations
• Securing a mandate for negotiations
• Understanding wage negotiations stages
• What is a recognition agreement
• The socio-economic and political influences on ER
• What is discipline and grievance and how do they operate in organisations
• The legal framework of ER e.g. the role of the contract of employment , legislation, the constitution
• The role of ER negotiating strategy in organisations
• What role company policy and procedural agreements play in the ER arena
• Know rights as per the BCEA
• Know UIF and Workman’s compensation law
• What unions are and what role they play in the company
• What shop stewards are and their role
• Dispute resolution procedures

DO:

• Advise on where to go to have ER issues resolved
• Manage/ co-ordinate day to day ER queries
• Advise on contractual rights and basic legislation as per the BCEA
• Advise on collective agreements clauses including discipline, grievance, dispute resolution , shop steward rights, substantive negotiations, working patterns

FEEL:

• Confident to get value from other more specialised employee relations training
• Confident to co-ordinate the resolution of ER matters
• Familiar with the power plays and emotional blackmail tactics of collective bargaining.

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

All HR recruits, Line Managers and HR Professionals, Supervisors and Team Leaders or anyone who requires an introduction to the basics of IR in South Africa.

COURSE SIZE

Minimum 4, maximum 10

 

PRE-WORK

 

Read site Recognition Agreement

Read site Substantive Agreement

Read Company Policy Manual on discipline and grievance

Read copy of Contract of Employment

Read copy of BCEA

TRAINER

Darren Coetsee

 

TRAINING SESSION OVERVIEW

The course will include case studies, role-plays and practical ER tasks.

 

COMPETENCIES AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS COVERED IN THE INTRO TO ER COURSE

The Introduction to ER course will assist in the development of the following competencies and professional skills:

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Employee relations- develop employment policies – in understanding the business context and desired employee relations and ensuring the execution of policies and practices are consistent with legislation (BCEA)

Employee relations-Human resources legislation-keep abreast of changes and updates to key legislation

Employee relations-manage conflict-facilitating the appropriate IR climate with employees and ensuring consistency in the application of rules

Employee relations-provide employee assistance – by providing individual advice/counselling

 

 

COMPETENCIES

Delivers through people-influencing skills- persuades directly- tries to persuade through logical argument in discussion and listens and interacts with others in an effective tactful way.

Delivers through people-influencing skills- uses multiple actions to persuade-think through all aspects of a presentation and how the different audience will receive it and thinks of alternate solutions which will be more likely to appeal to the audience

Achieves through integrity, teamwork and learning-self confident integrity- acts independently according to personal judgement or belief in presenting own work confidently.

Achieves through integrity, teamwork and learning-self confident integrity-strong self belief in that maintains a strong self belief even when others disagree, has courage to stand up for his or her convictions and speaks up confidently when in disagreement with others.

Possesses the intellectual power to determine direction-concern for rigour and order-attention to order and detail- follows procedures and protocol accurately, rigorously checks accuracy and keeps detailed and accurate records/ minutes of meetings.

 

 

COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME

The Introduction to Employee Relations course is run over 2 days and is broken up into various sessions, each of which will assist in the development of the delegate’s knowledge and skills of the basics of Employee Relations.  

Session 1         Introduction and Ice-Breaker

This will entail an introduction to the principles of Employee Relations via the use of a role-play exercise. It also provides a useful icebreaker to put delegates at ease. The learning objectives are:

• Understanding what ER is (systems, processes, procedures, people)
• What role does ER play and why is it important in organisations

Session 2         Understanding the Broader Environment in SA

This session looks at the broader political, social and economic forces that impact on ER and will provide delegates with a framework within which to understand the issues at a workplace level.  The learning objectives are:

• Understanding basic forces impacting on ER in SA
• How does the environment affect ER strategy
• What are the challenges facing ER professionals currently and into the future

Session 3         Sources of SA Labour Law

 

This session looks at the sources of SA labour law and will provide delegates with an understanding of the following framework within which the legal aspects of ER operate.  Mostly this session will highlight the rights and duties employees and employers owe each other arising out of contract law and the Basic Conditions legislation.  The learning objectives are as follows:

• The Contract of Employment
• The Labour Relations Act
• The Basic Conditions of Employment Act
• The Employment Equity Act
• Unemployment Insurance and Workman’s Compensation

 

Session 4         Understanding the Basics

This session will enhance the delegates understanding of the ER arena as well as assist them to grasp other more complex areas of ER skill. The learning objectives are:

• Understanding basic processes in ER e.g. consultation, negotiations, discipline, grievances, dispute resolution, collective bargaining
• Looking at the role of conflict and power in ER

Session 5         Company Policy and Procedures

This session looks at giving delegates an understanding of the company’s internal rules and procedures. The objectives are:

• Understanding Company Policy and Procedure Agreements
• Knowing your Recognition Agreement
• Looking at dispute resolution at company level

 

Session 6         Roles Plays and Assessments

This session looks at testing what the delegates have learned during the day and allows them to practice their skills. The objectives are:

• Opportunity for practice and learning in the processes themselves
• Making the learning objectives practical and easier to understand
• Allowing for assessments to be made as to competence