Attempts to regulate labour standards in multinational companies face clear difficulties, not least because companies themselves may not have the executive power to enforce terms throughout complex and fragmented subcontracting structures. In the case of international framework agreements (IFAs), this might suggest a fundamental weakness. Taking our example from the South African construction industry, this article presents an IFA in the context of both employer and union strategy. We demonstrate that a two-track approach exists: highly interventionist approach to quality-critical issues compared with labourrelated issues. On this basis, we suggest that, far from being over-hyped, IFAs have yet to be taken seriously enough. 9,934 words (including references)

No abstract

This article reviews a form of corporatism, underpinned by the institutionalisation of industrial relations as a means of attaining order post-apartheid. Drawing from the experience of Impala Platinum, it examines why an industrial relations system may become inadequate, generating insurgent unionism. The article shows how corporatism comes with a cost, undermining trade union internal democracy and alienating it from the shop floor. The article argues that the institutionalisation of industrial relations is not fixed but precarious and is continuously being reconfigured, generating new forms of conflict and solidarity. Moreover, it crystallises a particular balance of organisational and institutional power that may be configured into various forms. Ultimately, the crisis of the National Union of Mineworkers presented in this case study highlights the crisis of the corporatist social contract that constitutes the basis of post-apartheid order.[Des relations industrielles qui se défont et se refont : le cas d'Impala Platinum et la vague de grèves de platine de 2012-2013.] Cet article examine une forme de corporatisme, soustenue par l'institutionnalisation des relations industrielles, comme un moyen d'atteindre un ordre après l'apartheid. Sur la base de l'expérience d'Impala Platinum, il examine les raisons pour lesquelles un système de relations industrielles pourrait devenir inadéquat, en générant un syndicalisme insurgé. Cet article montre comment le corporatisme comprend aussi un coût, affaiblissant la démocratie interne des syndicats et l'aliénant au niveau de l'atelier. Cet article soutient que l'institutionnalisation des relations industrielles n'est pas fixée, mais plutôt précaire, et est reconfigurée de manière continue, ce qui génère de nouvelles formes de conflit et de solidarité. De plus, cette institutionnalisation cristallise un certain équilibre du pouvoir organisationnel et institutionnel qui peut être configuré vers des formes variées. Finalement, la crise du syndicat national des mineurs présentée dans cette étude de cas montre la crise du contrat social corporatiste qui constitue la base de l'ordre post-apartheid.

No abstract

No abstract