South Africa’s labour legislation has recently undergone momentous changes, in particular, the changes relating to section 198B of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) 66 of 1995. These amendments have proven to be more contentious than any other changes implemented by government in past years. The purpose of this study is to examine and outline the specific implications that the amendments to legislation regarding fixed-term contracts have on a pension and provident fund company in Gauteng, South Africa. This research will therefore highlight the implications (positive and negative) concerning the changes to section 198B on a pension and provident fund organisation in Gauteng, South Africa. The qualitative investigatory study was conducted with six employees of a pension and provident fund company which makes use of fixed term contract employees, until data saturation was reached. The data was collected by means of individual in depth interviews. The results of the study clearly indicate that the changes to section 198B will have both negative and positive implications. Some of the negative implications are that organisation have had to incur increased employment costs as a result of having to provide equal benefits and conditions of employment to all fixed term contract employees. Organisations now have to review the necessity of deploying fixed term contracts and where required to do away with such contracts. The implication here is that, the employment flexibility which organisations previously had has now been removed. Some of the positive implications are that, a few employees who had been on fixed term contracts were employed on a permanent basis after the changes came into effect. Employees experienced greater job security and were offered much needed benefits such as medical aid, pension and disability benefits. Permanent and fixed term contract employees are now treated equally. Part-time employees have better job security and the enhanced ability to enforce statutory rights in terms of equal treatment in employment by evoking enforcement mechanisms such as the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), labour courts and bargaining councils with jurisdiction to arbitrate matters. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T21:06:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Lidiane Aparecida Longo Garcia Goncalves1.pdf: 2577954 bytes, checksum: d8d639743559d333157f28bcb8793fef (MD5) Lidiane Aparecida Longo Garcia Goncalves2.pdf: 4181689 bytes, checksum: f216a534c6c8d562e49e84ce660b7996 (MD5) Lidiane Aparecida Longo Garcia Goncalves3.pdf: 3585457 bytes, checksum: 37c34552a2cade0a7f20a3895c352fb9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-30 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The Brazilian Constitution establishes as a rule for appointment to public offices and positions the previously approvation by the tender, under penalty of nullity. The fixedterm contract to meet the temporary need of exceptional public interest is an exception, but there are two situations that lead its declaration: the extension of contracts beyond the time limit allowed by law, when there is no more the aspect of temporary need or hiring to work on activities that are not included on the exhaustive list of the law authorizing. In these cases, the majority jurisprudential understanding is that the contract must be declared invalid retroactively and the worker has only the right entitled to payment of the consideration agreed, upon in relation to the number of hours worked, respected the value of the minimum wage, and the values related to FGTS deposits. This placement, however, forsake an employee who acted in good faith and relied on the legitimacy of actions taken by the state, besides did not do reference about the punishment of the agent responsible for the unlawful administrative act. The systematic reading of the constitutional text reveals the necessity to maintain legal certainty, which is effective, in this case, with the protection of the worker in the face of the nullity of recruitment by the Public Administration. To do so, must be declared the invalidity of the contract with effects ex nunc, preserving the factual situation to the past tense statement, with the State ordered to compensate the work done with all sums, other than those typical of remission without cause, because the termination of the contract was made by virtue of its declaration of invalidity. / A Constituição brasileira estabelece como regra para investidura em cargos e empregos públicos a aprovação prévia em concurso público, sob pena de nulidade. O contrato por tempo determinado para atender a necessidade temporária de excepcional interesse público é uma exceção, mas há duas hipóteses que ensejam sua nulidade: a prorrogação dos contratos para além dos prazos autorizados pela legislação, quando não mais existe o aspecto temporário da necessidade ou a contratação para atuar em atividades que não estão relacionadas no rol taxativo da lei que a autoriza. Nestes casos, o entendimento jurisprudencial majoritário é de que o contrato deve ser declarado nulo retroativamente e o trabalhador tem direito apenas ao pagamento da contraprestação pactuada, em relação ao número de horas trabalhadas, respeitado o valor da hora do salário mínimo, e dos valores referentes aos depósitos do FGTS. Este posicionamento, contudo, desampara o trabalhador que agiu de boa-fé e confiou na legitimidade dos atos praticados pelo Estado, além de ser omisso no tocante à punição do agente responsável pelo ato administrativo inválido. A leitura sistemática do texto constitucional revela a necessidade de manutenção da segurança jurídica, o que se efetiva, nesta hipótese, com a proteção deste trabalhador em face da nulidade de contratação pela Administração Pública. Para tanto, deve-se declarar a invalidade da contratação com efeitos ex nunc, resguardando a situação fática pretérita à declaração, sendo o Estado condenado a indenizar o trabalho prestado com todas as verbas contratuais trabalhistas, excluindo-se aquelas típicas da dispensa imotivada, pois a extinção do contrato se deu em virtude de sua declaração de nulidade.

La condition juridique de l'artiste-interprète se caractérise par une imbrication étroite du droit du travail et du droit de la propriété intellectuelle. Chaque source de droits appréhende des temps différents de l'activité de l'artiste-interprète. Le droit du travail s'intéresse à l'artiste-interprète en tant que travailleur. Le modèle du salariat s'impose largement puisque le législateur a instauré une présomption de salariat. Le droit de la propriété littéraire et artistique s'intéresse au résultat du processus de création sur lequel les artistes-interprètes bénéficient de droits voisins du droit d'auteur. L'artiste-interprète se trouve donc au cœur d'une articulation délicate entre la liberté d'expression inhérente à son activité et la subordination juridique qui caractérise la relation de travail salariée. En réalité, le droit du travail n'ignore pas la nature particulière de l'activité de l'artiste-interprète. D'une part, l'artiste-salarié est largement soustrait aux conditions traditionnelles de la subordination juridique, d'autre part, un espace est laissé aux artistes qui souhaitent exercer en qualité d'indépendant. Malgré l'existence d'une double protection juridique, l'artiste-interprète demeure un sujet de droit fragile. Il fait souvent figure de travailleur précaire avec la généralisation de formes d'emploi flexibles et son droit voisin fait figure de « parent pauvre». L'artiste-interprète est d'autant fragilisé que son droit fait l'objet de contestations dans le cadre de l'Internet. Le rapport de force avec les acteurs de l'économie numérique est inégal et les revendications du public sont fortes. Il s'ensuit le besoin de définir un cadre plus équitable. / The legal position of the performer consists in a narrow interweaving of the labour law and intellectual copyright rights. Each source of rights bandles different times related to performing artists's activities. Labour law refers to the performer as a worker. Salaried staff status is predominant since the legislator bas introduced a presumption of employment. Literary and artistic property rigbts focus on the result of the creating process on which performers benefit from rights related to copyright. Performing artists are indeed at the heart of a delicate joint between the freedom of speech inherent to their activity and the legal subordination which characterises salaried staff relations. Actually, the labour law is not unaware of the peculiar nature of performing artists's activities. On one band, the salaried artist is exempt from the usual requirements of legal subordination; on the other hand, room is left to artists hoping to work as self-employed. Although a double legal protection exists, performing artists remain a fragile subject of law. They are often considered as precarious workers with the generalization of flexible forms of work and their neighbouring rights are often seen as a poor relation. Performing artists are even more so weakened that their right is subject to protests on the Internet. The power relationship with the players in the digital economy is uneven and grievances from the public are very strong. There is a need to define a more equitable frame.

The thesis discusses the advantages (disadvantages) of the employing part-time workers in the Czech and Slovak Republic. In each country, the part-time contracts are divided into theoretical and practical parts. In the theoretical part of thesis the part-time contracts are described in terms of legislation. The practical part applies the theoretical part on illustrative examples. Conclusion includes evaluation of results and suggestions for possible improvements.

Several interesting findings emerged from this study. First, strong labour movements still failed to successfully bargain for employment protections due to resistance from employers to encroachments on their institutionalized managerial prerogatives. Second, governments favoured a policy of abstentionism and acquiescence to the collective-laissez-faire tradition until the critical juncture of the 1960s and 1970s. Third, the increasing power resources of trade unions and a deteriorating socio-economic climate created a window of opportunity for bold government action to improve industrial relations, albeit without the consent of employers, and at first, unions. Fourth, contrary to the liberalizing pressures one would expect to find in an archetypical free market economy, the UK has implemented far more statutory protections than deregulatory reforms. Fifth, in contrast to its traditional non-intervention in industrial relations and reputation for worker-protective regulations, Swedish governments have enacted numerous statutes, both restricting and freeing managerial prerogatives in the hiring and firing process. Sixth, statutory employment protections became an independent set of institutional power resources for unions in the long run, serving their organizational and representational interests in important ways. Seventh, unions and left parties consistently defended and advanced the policy preferences of their core constituencies in secure employment by privileging the job security of regular contracts. Eighth, employers and parties on the right of the political spectrum consistently opposed restrictions on the managerial capacity to hire and fire at will, especially for small businesses. Nineth, to increase flexibility without threatening the stability of regular contracts, reforms over the years had to foster atypical forms of work, creating a regulatory gap between permanent and temporary employment, particularly in Sweden. Tenth, differences exist between job security in the statute books and job security in action, particularly in the UK where this gap pervades all aspects of the unfair dismissal system. These findings suggest employment protection legislation has developed in ways far more complex, dynamic and contradictory than is commonly assumed by prominent theories of comparative political economy. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis examines how and why employment protection legislation developed in the United Kingdom and Sweden in the ways that it did from its early beginnings to the present period. It hopes to offer answers to questions about the initial impetus for statutory regulation, the number, content and impact of significant legislative changes and the preferences of key stakeholders with material interests in the policymaking process. It does this by drawing on a variety of both primary and secondary source materials, including employment protection databases, parliamentary records and research publications. At the same time, it assesses the explanatory merit of dominant theories in the political economy literature by testing them against voluminous empirical evidence and provides a multi-factorial account to fill the gaps in the existing body of knowledge.

In this thesis the position of parties under a fixed-term agreement under section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 is analysed critically. The purpose of this thesis is first to establish whether parties to a fixed-term agreement are better protected in terms of section 14 of the CPA when the consumer needs to terminate the contract based on the material failure to perform by the supplier, than under the common law. Second, this thesis explores whether the maximum duration of fixed-term agreements should be limited by statute. Various aspects affecting parties to these agreements, for instance the freedom to contract, pacta servanda sunt, and standard-form agreements, are considered. The South African position is then compared to the position in Singapore under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, and to the United Kingdom under the Consumer Rights Act, to gain perspective and objectively evaluate the provisions of section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 to establish whether South Africa can benefit from lessons learnt from these jurisdictions. Finally, principle-based amendments to the provisions of the CPA are recommended to improve the position of the consumer under fixed-term agreements to effect best practice solutions and ensure adherence to the aims and purposes of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and international guidelines. This thesis is based on the law as at 18 June 2020, found in sources available in South Africa, and Singaporean law available in the database of the National University of Singapore. / Hierdie proefskrif is ’n kritiese analise van die posisie van partye tot vastetermynkontrakte ingevolge artikel 14 van die Suid-Afrikaanse verbruikersbeskermingswetgewing, die Consumer Protection Act 68 van 2008 (CPA). Die doel van die analise is eerstens om vas te stel of partye tot ’n vastetermynkontrak ingevolge artikel 14 van die CPA beter beskerming geniet ingevolge die CPA wanneer die verbruiker die vastetermynkontrak moet beëindig weens die wesenlike wanprestasie deur die verskaffer, as ingevolge die gemenereg. Tweedens ondersoek die proefskrif of dit wenslik is dat die maksimum duur van vastetermynkontrakte deur wetgewing beperk word. Verskeie aspekte wat die posisie van partye tot vastetermynkontrakte beïnvloed word ondersoek, onder andere kontrakteervryheid, die leerstuk pacta servanda sunt en standaardkontrakte. Die Suid-Afrikaanse posisie word dan vergelyk met dié in Singapoer, ingevolge die Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA), en die Verenigde Koninkryk, ingevolge die Consumer Rights Act (CRA) om perspektief te kry op die studie, en ten einde die bepalings van artikel 14 objektief te oorweeg om vas te stel of Suid-Afrika kan kersopsteek by hierdie jurisdiksies. Laastens word voorstelle gemaak om die posisie van die verbruiker tot vastetermynkontrakte ingevolge die CPA te verbeter om beste gebruikspraktyke te implementeer, en te verseker dat die doelwitte van die CPA en internasionale verbruikersriglyne bereik word. Hierdie studie weerspieël die regsposisie soos op 18 Junie 2020 in bronne wat plaaslik beskikbaar is, asook in bronne aan my beskikbaar gestel deur die Nasionale Universiteit van Singapoer tydens ’n navorsingsbesoek daar. / Kule thesisi isimo sezinhlangano ezingaphansi kwesivumelwano sesikhathi esinqunyiwe, ngaphansi kwesigaba 14 koMthetho 68 ka 2008, uMthetho weZokuvikelwa koMthengi uhlaziywa ngendlela egxekayo. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo ukusungula ukuthi mhlawumbe lezi zinhlangano ezingaphansi kwesivumelwano sesikhathi esinqunyiwe sivikeleke kangcono ngaphansi kwesigaba 14 se-CPA uma kunesidingo sabathengi sokuqedwa kwesivumelwano esencike phezu kokwehluleka ukwenza umsebenzi waloyo ongumthumeli wempahla, okwehlukile emthethweni owejwayelekile. Okwesibili, le thesis iphenya ukuthi mhlawumbe isikhathi isikhathi esinde sesivumelwano sesikhathi esinqunyiwe kufanele sincishiswe ngokomthetho oshayiwe. Izinto ezahlukahlukene ezithinta lezi zivumelwano, njengesibonelo, inkululeko yokungena esivumelwaneni pacta servanda sunt, kanye nesivumelwano ezingaguquki, kuyizinto ezibhekwayo. Isimo seNingizimu Afrika siqhathaniswa nesimo sezwe laseSingapore ngaphansi koMthetho wezokuVikelwa kwabaThengi (Fair Trading), kanye nasezweni laseUnited Kingdom ngaphansi koMthetho owaMalungelo abaThengi, ukuthola umqondo kanye nokuhlola izimiso ngaphansi kwesigaba 14 soMthetho 68 ka 2008, uMthetho oVikela abaThengi ukuthola ukuthi ngabe iNingizimu Afrika kukhona ekuzuzile kwizifundo ezifundwe kulezi zakhiwo zemithetho. Okokugcina, izichibiyelo ezisuselwe kwimigomo mayelana nalokho okushiwo yi-CPA inconywe ukuthi yenze ngcono isimo sezinhlangano ezingaphansi kwezivumelwano zesikhathi esinqunyiwe ukuletha izisombululo ezingcono kanye nokuqinisekisa ukuthi kulandelwa izinhloso kanye nemisebenzi yoMthetho 68 ka 2008, okunguMthetho oVikela abaThengi kanye nemihlahlandlela yezizwe zomhlaba. Lolu cwaningo lususelwe phezu komthetho kusukela mhla zi 18 uNhlangulana 2020, luyatholakala emithonjeni yaseNingizimu Afrika, kanye nomthetho waseSingapore uyatholakala emthonjeni yedatha yaseNational University of Singapore. / Mercantile Law / LL. D.