The ending of southern Africa's tripartite dream: the cases of South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique

Abstract

This article examines the rise and decline of tripartite experiments in southern Africa, focusing on South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia, where tripartism emerged as part of the broader processes of democratisation and embedding democratic institutions. Why did these experiments largely fail to achieve the gains for labour that might have been anticipated? In each case, the lack of success can be ascribed to the ecosystemic dominance of neo-liberalism, returning growth fuelled by higher commodities prices, the changing structure of elites, dominant partyism, and structural weaknesses in both organised business and the labour movement.

Public Sector Reform and the Challenges of Open and Expansive Unionism in Zambia

“…So the Civil Servants Union does go and negotiate with management of Lusaka Business and Technical College. (Former President, CSUZ) The strategy of decentralising the collective bargaining structure has been used in other African countries such as Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa (Dibben et al, 2015). This strategy is used because of the belief that it enables pay to be linked to productivity thereby improving the incentives for workers (Boeri, 2014).…”

“…The resource challenges associated with coordination of multiple bargaining units are not unique to Zambia. They are also faced by trade unions in other African countries such as Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa (Dibben et al, 2015).…”

Job Redundancy as a Strategic Option for MNEs and Its Right Implementation Technique

“…Undoubtedly, in today"s volatile and uncertain world, the survival and success of any business entrant largely depend on its ability to cope with the fast moving external environments through restructuring, remodelling, and continual adjustments to the size and constitution of its systems and work-forces (Dibben, Klerck & Wood, 2011;Mellahi & Wilkinson, 2010;Gandolfi, 2010;Flower, 1993). Moreover, in order to maximize their efficiency, today"s organisations opt to utilise their workforce through a primary focus upon redundancies (ACAS, 2010;Dundon & Rollinson, 2009;Lewis, 1993).…”

“…Nevertheless, there has been a significant rise in redundancies around the world (Mellahi and Wilkinson, 2010;p.2). Especially during or followed by recessions, redundancies in private sector have become a common phenomenon (Dibben, Klerck and Wood, 2011;p.284) leaving millions of people jobless. As a reports go, UK unemployment broke though "the 2.5 million mark" by April 2010 as a consequence of the last recession (Wearden, 2010), while Australian employers has kept even higher and alarming rates of redundancies (Patty, 2016).…”

The International Labour Organization and African trade unions: tripartite fantasies and enduring struggles

“…Fraile and Baccaro (2010, 5) argue that tripartite institutions in developing countries have 'blunted' the worst excesses of neoliberal policies, rather than construct alternatives. Studies of Southern Africa similarly suggest that the outcomes of tripartite institutions installed during the process of democratization have often been disappointing for workers (Dibben, Klerck, and Wood 2015;Webster 2013). The political dominance of single party governments, growing opposition from business, and the global rise of neoliberalism have restricted the capacity of tripartite institutions to advance workers' interests.…”