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Promotion of Decent Work in Southern African Ports (phase II) - Midterm Evaluation

eval_number:

2139

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2139

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Labour relations

category:

Governance and Tripartism

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comments:

Targetted Beneficiaries: Immediate and ultimate beneficiaries at the Port of Richards Bay and the DCT Pier 1 and Pier 2.

challenges:

It was gathered that the practices of following on principles of social dialogue tend to weaken as time passes and/or when discussions are not facilitated by an independent party, such as the ILO. This could be attributed to numerous reasons including the high employee turnover (with new entrants having no or limited knowledge of social dialogue principles) and the fact that it generally takes a long time to change one’s behaviour permanently. Therefore, benefits derived from implemented social dialogue activities are not sustainable and are of temporary nature if they are not integrated into the operational environment of the business through a set of formalised procedures and policies. This has been seen at the terminals in Durban and to a lesser degree in Richards Bay, where adherence to the social dialogue practices without continuous support from the ILO has seen to diminish as the project progressed.

success:

Activities undertaken by the project during both Phase I and Phase II with respect to social dialogue have greatly assisted the respective Terminals to build a stronger and more open relationship between management and unions. Activities implemented in the first half of Phase II showed the value of social dialogue training and adherence to social dialogue principles towards strengthening a company’s reputation, improving productivity levels, and increasing staff satisfaction. More specifically, during Phase II, social dialogue activities implemented at the Bulk and Multi-Purpose Terminals of the Port of Richards Bay, for example, assisted in creating a more open relationship between management and labour and in resolving some of the issues related to employment of casual labour and internal promotions. The PMU also acknowledged the need for continuous support of social duologue activities at the DCT Pier 1 and Pier 2 beyond those that were implemented in Phase I; they therefore included some training and workshops in these terminals during Phase II.

context:

One of the core objectives of the project’s Phase II was to “promote social dialogue as a means of conflict resolution among stakeholders within port terminals and among port terminal operators in the sub-region”. In order to achieve this objective, the PMU embarked on training on general principles and practices of social dialogue for management and labour representatives, provided collective (mutual gains) bargaining training for management and labour representatives, as well as reviewed and advised on existing mechanisms for internal social dialogue structures. Notable positive results were observed during the PMU’s continuous involvement with respect to social dialogue practices. However, the lack of a sustainability plan or an exit strategy that would ensure the parties continue to adhere to these practices post PMU’s involvement has shown to be a significant drawback in the project plan.

description:

Activities aimed at promotion of social dialogue strengthen management-labour relationships. However, considering the feedback received from various people interviewed, currently planned activities will not be sufficient to sustain the progress made in this regard beyond the project’s duration. Therefore, integrating social dialogue practices into the operational environment and strengthening the capacity and institutional structures at the terminals will be among the key factors in ensuring sustainability of social dialogue practices.

administrative_issues:

The PMU needs to involve the labour representatives and management/employers representatives with decision-making mandate in the design of the sustainability or exist strategy to ensure its buy-in by the beneficiaries.

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/203710

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location:

country:

South Africa

region:

Africa

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eval_title:

Promotion of Decent Work in Southern African Ports (phase II) - Midterm Evaluation