Read More
What do we need to create safe and inclusive trade unions and workplaces free of homophobia? Trade union activists who have consciousness, passion, knowledge and skills to advocate for the rights of workers who are LGBT+.
Read More
The company you’re bargaining with is in a genuine crisis and can’t afford any salary increases. What should be in your counter-proposal?
Read More
“The minimum wage is a victory for ultra-low wage workers. We have an established floor where there was none before, and we can raise that floor and ensure that no worker is left behind,” says Trenton Elsely, Commissioner, National Minimum Wage Commission.
Read More
Some of the key areas trade unions can direct their energy and resources in 2021.
Read More
The covid-19 pandemic fast-tracked some of the predicted changes in the world of work. Learn what the changes may mean for workers in African multinational companies.
Read More
The possible discriminatory consequences of a mandatory covid-19 vaccination policy at the workplace.
Read More
The new minimum wage is R21.69 per hour, an increase of 4.5%. The minimum wage for domestic workers is still below the national wage at R19.09.
Read More
This document draws on the experience of nine education trade unions that want to end school-related gender-based violence in their contexts.
Read More
Some basic principles for unions to follow as they anticipate the impact of the changing nature of work on organising and bargaining.
Read More
The new workplace issues presented by the covid-19 pandemic require shop stewards to be proficient with the guidelines and direction for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).
Read More
This training manual is for educators in unions to use as a guide for training and supporting shop stewards on staying safe in workplaces during Covid-19 and beyond.
Read More
Business as usual for trade unions went out of the window in 2020. Unions had to alter how they delivered value to their members and recruited new ones.
Read More
This online course designed by the LRS for the Online Learning Academy of International Federation of Workers’ Education Associations (IFWEA) is for activists who want to facilitate gender equality education programmes.
Read More
This one goes out to the trade unionists and anyone else who understands that what few gains the working class have made, they have made through struggle.
Read More
Learn a simple step by step approach to bargaining for gender equity in the workplace.
Read More
Trade unions in South Africa often use strikes to advance and defend the rights of their members. Learn how to plan an effective strike.
Read More
It’s crunch time for trade unions as more workers face retrenchments by companies navigating the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. Here’s a recap of section 189 of the LRA to get you up to speed.
Read More
A basic guide for new shop stewards to follow when bargaining at company level.
Read More
Can trade unions continue to successfully negotiate protections for workers in uncertain times?
Read More
Here’s a collection of my favourite books written by women workers, survivors of gender-based violence, school girls and community activists. The writers’ reflections are powerful and empowering.
Read More
Participants at FEDUSA’s webinar on gender-based violence urged the government to ratify ILO C190 against violence in the world of work.
Read More
A conversation with Nina Benjamin, Leader of Gender Equality Programme at the Labour Research Service
Read More
Bárbara Figueroa, president of Chile’s Central Union of Workers, argues for the need to reflect on and review our practices as a labour movement and as a species.
Read More
“The pandemic made us to explore alternative models of leadership that are not militaristic, patriarchal and undemocratic.” Crecentia Mofokeng, Regional Representative for Africa, Building and Wood Workers’ International
Read More
President of Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Associations and StreetNet International, Lorraine Ndlovu, on how the covid-19 pandemic affected her activism. “We are rethinking our approach to women’s leadership development.”
Read More
Amazon announced it’d would hire 3000 people in South Africa to work ‘virtually’ in various roles. But what does this mean and why should you care?
Read More
It’s possible to transform the norms, policies and practices that perpetuate gender-based violence in our schools when stakeholders act collectively.
Read More
Nurses on the front lines of the health care response to covid-19 pandemic have found themselves in a tricky position, making difficult decisions about their own lives and that of patients.
Read More
Both private and public sector workers continue to bear the brunt of the Covid-19 lockdown, despite eased restrictions and some industries opening.
Read More
Vulnerable workers in South Africa face destitution in the absence of a viable channel for individual applications to the UIF’s covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme.
Read More
Public education sector unions signed a collective agreement on the procedures to follow when dealing with teachers who are at a higher risk of complications if they contract Covid-19.
Read More
Despite the progressive laws, workers who are LGBTI+ continue to experience violence and discrimination.
Read More
Practical suggestions for emergency online solutions for trade unions.
Read More
With the school closures, reduced support services and a lack of community support, these young South Africans are more vulnerable.
Read More
Trenton Elsely, Executive Director of Labour Research Service, speaks about organising the first-ever online board meeting of the organisation.
Read More
Do I require a permit to travel to the CCMA? Will cases be heard at plant level? What if my boss refuses to consent to online-based hearing? Get the answers to your questions straight from CCMA director, Cameron Morajane.
Read More
African countries must ensure functioning economies where jobs are secured and trade unions are fully involved in decision-making.
Read More
Amazing things can happen when a diverse group of worker representatives is given a safe space to be themselves. A safe space is good for learning, trying new roles and building solidarity.
Read More
Workers’ Day 2020 message from the Executive Director of Labour Research Service, Trenton Elsely.
Read More
Let’s acknowledge, value and celebrate the paid and unpaid care work of women across the globe.
Read More
Nkosinathi Zwane says the covid-19 pandemic has affected his small business and his dignity as a gay worker.
Read More
Economists have predicted massive job losses in South Africa due to covid-19 pandemic. But what does this mean for the retail sector?
Read More
As one of the few businesses allowed to operate in South Africa during the covid-19 lockdown, are retailers doing enough to ensure protection and fair compensation of workers?
Read More
How can workers in the small-scale fisheries industry be supported to thrive during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond?
Read More
How do we slow the spread of Covid-19 without shutting down the livelihoods of poor households?
Read More
The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the plight of waste reclaimers. Here’s how the government can support the workers helping to save up to R750m in potential landfill costs per year.
Read More
At the mercy of their employers, domestic workers in South Africa have little legal recourse in cases of unfair and inhumane treatment.
Read More
Support working class families in South Africa through the covid-19 pandemic.
Read More
A network of organisations representing informal workers in South Africa wants the government to provide social and economic support to millions of workers in the informal sector amid covid-19.
Read More
The ILO’s preliminary assessment concerning the possible impacts of coronavirus on the world of work proposes a range of policy options to mitigate these impacts and facilitate strong recovery.
Read More
The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and subsequent government reactions have both employees and employers uncertain. Know your rights as a worker.
Read More
How to prevent the spread of the covid-19 in your workplace and the measures to take when travelling to work and organising organising meetings and events. Applying the OHS Act.
Read More
We come into the learning process as full people with our thinking and critical reflection, feelings and emotions and our readiness to engage in action.
Read More
With the rising inequality in South Africa, strong trade unions are a force for good in society. Here’s why unions need to invest more in organising and recruitment.
Read More
Trade union recruitment in South Africa is lax, yet the strength of organisations largely depends on growing membership. Here’s an effective approach to recruiting members.
Read More
We analysed 14 economic sectors in South Africa to provide trade unions with strategic research that can help them influence corporate governance in big companies to protect workers.
Read More
Key insights, challenges, progress and prospects of the national minimum wage in South Africa.
Read More
Research on violence in schools in South Africa shows the issue is worsening. South African Democratic Teachers Union has mapped the key action areas to end the violence.
Read More
South Africa’s constitution and the various labour laws protect workers. Workers who know about their rights are better able to protect themselves. Know your rights.
Read More
Worker representatives have identified the priority demands that will strengthen the collective bargaining agreements covering millions of workers in South Africa.
Read More
Twenty-five years after Beijing, there’s progress for women workers in South Africa but major challenges remain.
Read More
Teacher unions in South Africa are confronting school-related gender-based violence to restore a safe learning environment and the dignity of the teaching profession.
Read More
Commissioner Nhlanhla Ndaba offers a quick refresher to worker representatives on navigating CCMA processes.
Read More
In The Gambia where the prevalence of female genital mutilation in women aged 15-49 is 74.9%, trade union activists are breaking the culture of silence to ensure the girl child is safe.
Read More
National Negotiator at SADTU, Shiyinduku Twala, says trade unions need to adapt to the changing workplace if they hope to remain effective.
Read More
A trade union activist’s personal tragedy sparked a flame that’s helping to fuel the fight against school-related gender-based violence in Sierra Leone. #EndSRGBV
Read More
Trade union activists in Zambia used reflection to track the progress and impact of an initiative to address gender-based violence in schools in the Southern African country.
Read More
Nina Benjamin, LRS Gender Equality Programme Leader, takes stock of her role supporting teacher trade unions in sub-Saharan Africa to create safe schools.
Read More
School-Related Gender-Based Violence is violence that undermines the bodily integrity, human rights, and gender equality of all those involved in the school but primarily that of the school child.
Read More
The root cause of gender-based violence is inequitable gender norms. What can you do to help end GBV?
Read More
South Africa’s labour market is more favourable to men than to women, and the fourth industrial revolution may widen the gap, writes Dr Rachel Adams, Research Specialist at Human Sciences Research Council.
Read More
The key infrastructure challenges for community health care workers in South Africa who form part of the Ward Based Primary Health Outreach Teams.
Read More
Trade unions in the retail sector in Africa have found ways of working together and with unions globally to ensure decent work in multinational corporations.
Read More
In the context of policy making in South Africa, it is easy to lose the big picture of the direction in which the country hopes to move. We unpack some of the policy implications for the DSL.
Read More
Dr Daniel B. le Roux investigates the impact of automation on economies in the developing world.
Read More
Trade unions campaigned for ILO Convention 190 on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. The challenge now is getting the governments to ratify the convention.
Read More
We now have a socially derived definition of a decent standard of living (DSL) in South Africa. The DSL was developed using simple steps that included what ordinary people thought.
Read More
South Africa’s government has struggled for many years to develop the right policies to beat poverty.
Read More
What will it take for worker leaders and the LRS to create resources that support collective bargaining for workers in precarious forms of employment?
Read More
NUMSA negotiator, Oupa Sifume, says collective bargaining in South Africa is under attack and only strong unions can deliver on the mandates from workers to reduce inequality in our society.
Read More
In among all the numbers, we have lost sight of dignity, and our value and worth as human beings. So how do we bring dignity back into the equation?
Read More
Trade unions in Africa are aware of the need to develop strategies for responding to Chinese multinational corporations operating on the continent.
Read More
Our interview with Dorcus Sekabate, the Vice President of Gender at the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), reminds us that violence in schools is a global tragedy.
Read More
UNTU’s Siphiweokuhle Sithole, 31, is among the women unionists fighting to instil cultures of gender equality in workplaces in South Africa.
Read More
FEDUSA’s Babongile Dumani is a male champion supporting the rights of working women in southern Africa.
Read More
Despite a long-running debate on poverty and inequality in South Africa, we haven’t had a robust measure of what it is to live decently. Until now.
Read More
At the centre of a landmark court ruling last month was the rights of about a million domestic workers. Union leader, Pinky Mashiane (pictured, centre), says the road ahead is still long
Read More
2019-2020 period will see some key sectors involved in wage negotiations. George Mthethwa gives his take on union bargaining in the current context.
Read More
What will it take to negotiate for all workers across formal and informal and workplaces taking into account their different needs, roles and identities?
Read More
SACCAWU shop steward, Bongani Mkhize (35), has tips for organising and involving young workers in trade unions.
Read More
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers continue to experience discrimination, harassment and violence. How grave is the issue in South Africa? Learn more…
Read More
What will it take for trade unions to make collective bargaining an active mechanism for the promotion of gender equality at the workplace?
Read More
Defending workers from injustices and ill-treatment ensures union members remain interested and active.
Read More
We’ve encountered great organising strategies used by women workers in the course of our work. Our member union, SACCAWU, managed to mobilise women working in shopping malls.
Read More
To prevent and end school-related gender-based violence in sub-Saharan Africa, teacher unions are collaborating to find solutions that can bring sustainable changes.
Read More
Gender-based violence in the healthcare sector is a priority issue. How are unions in South Africa responding?
Read More
Against daunting odds, a remarkable exception has emerged in the Vaal region of Gauteng Province where community members are working together to end gender-based violence.
Read More
The story of how the future of work will look is still being written and unions in Africa must also wield the pen. Here’s what we know about this hot topic.
Read More
Nosipho Twala writes about her experience travelling in a Metrorail train in Gauteng Province and discovering a space with a creative blend of consciousness-raising, organising and mobilising.
Read More
Domestic workers unions in South Africa have challenged the constitutionality of COIDA, which provides compensation to workers for occupational injuries, diseases and death but excludes domestic workers.