The political economy of labour market flexibility in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The impact of globalisation can be found in every aspect of human life. Globalisation hasalso brought about changes in the world of work, such as the call for labour marketflexibility, which has restructured the workplace. This study focuses on the implications oflabour market flexibility for workers in South Africa and for trade unions, within the contextof the introduction of a macroeconomic neoliberal policy in South Africa in 1996. The studyexamines the changing nature of employment and work in a company in the South Africanretail sector, namely Pick n Pay.Labour market flexibility comes about as companies try to compete and cut costs at theexpense of workers. This implies a reduction of protection and benefits and has resulted inthe creation of a 'working poor' labour segment. Trade unions have been ineffective inproviding a voice and representation for the new working poor. This study argues that underconditions of economic globalisation, trade unions are disempowered and flexible labourmarket practices are introduced to cut costs in order to maintain market share and increasecompetitiveness.Economic globalisation has pressurised the South African government, and the AfricanNational Congress (ANC), to shift gradually to the right and to adopt a neoliberalmacroeconomic policy. This has led to an increase in inequality, unemployment, new formsof insecure jobs and the creation of an informal economy. This study found that instead ofcreating jobs and alleviating poverty, the government's Growth, Employment andRedistribution Strategy (GEAR) has resulted in retrenchments, downsizing and restructuring.The unemployed, retrenched and working poor find themselves in the 'second economy'.The retail sector in particular makes use of labour market flexibility in order to compete formarket share. Pick n Pay is an example of a retail company that increasingly makes use offlexible labour market practices. This study found that labour market flexibility has created asituation that trade unions find difficult to deal with, and that labour market flexibility hasbeen accompanied by increasing inequality, which overlaps with race and gender identities.Furthermore, Pick n Pay maintains flexible employment under conditions of increasedproductivity and contrary to labour legislation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University