Conflict Dynamics Podcast

Marion Shaer, Conflict Dynamics Director, speaks with Mahamed Rajah about current trends in collective bargaining.

Mahamed makes the following observations, amongst others:

• inter-union rivalry is a difficult new dimension to collective bargaining;
• at the bargaining council level there is also rivalry between employers;
• facilitators can assist manage these challenges from an early stage of the negotiation;
• failure to disclose information undermines the negotiation process and failure to provide information often causes delays in the process;
• parties to collective bargaining are less skilled in negotiation than in the past, resulting in highly positional negotiation;
• training in negotiation skills makes a difference to the quality of collective bargaining;
• joint union-management training gives the parties a similar understanding of negotiation, vocabulary and skills;
• communication and relationship building between bouts of collective bargaining smooths the way for the next round.

This podcast is a key resource for representatives in collective bargaining.

Felicity Steadman (Director of Conflict Dynamics since 1996, former Senior CCMA commissioner and Senior Staffer, Board member and panellist at IMSSA) talks to women who lead and have led dispute resolution organisations in South Africa, including: 

• Nerine Kahn - CEO of the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration 2006 - 2016 
• Gina Barbieri - Compliance Advisor Ombudsman of the IFC and World Bank Group - 2011 - 2022; currently Ombudsperson for WWF 
• Princess Kelebogile Ka-Siboto - South African Human Rights Commission: Acting Head Legal Services 
• Tanya Venter - CEO of Tokiso Dispute Settlement 2006 - 2022 
• Robin Monakali, Project Co-ordinator at Conflict Dynamics, opens the webinar and sums up at the close from the perspective of a young woman developing her leadership skills in the dispute resolution field.

Felicity Steadman speaks with Susan Hayter of the ILO about how trade unions and management can address gender inequalities in the workplace,  in particular by:

• addressing the gender pay gap in the bargaining process;
• re-evaluating jobs to ensure that jobs traditionally done by men and women are valued equally;
• negotiating maternity and parental leave agreements, and extending them to offer options such as flexible working time arrangements and care services;
• addressing issues of gender-based violence at work and domestic violence.

 Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa was the Ombud at UCT for 10 year. Marion Shaer talks with her. 

Marion Shaer, a director of Conflict Dynamics, discusses mediation and how can it assist in cases of sexual harassment.

Listen to lawyer, Chwayita Mathiso, explain why she decided to add mediation skills to her lawyer skill set.