Postgraduate Diploma: Labour Relations Management

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to provide students who are in possession of an appropriate Bachelor's Degree or Advanced Diploma and relevant experience in the field of Labour Relations Management (LRM) with the opportunity to develop professional and specialised competencies in the field of Labour Relations Management. The Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations Management will enable them to independently identify, analyse and manage labour relations trends, practices and problems within the context of employment relations in any organisation.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations Management offers specialised academic and professional studies for candidates holding a relevant Bachelors' Degree, Advanced Diploma or equivalent qualification.

The qualification should also enable graduates to be professionally registered with the South African Board for People Practice (SABPP) as an Employment Relations Practitioner.

A student enrolled for the Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Relations Management will be actively engaged in becoming a well-rounded, educated person, actively engaged in an advanced study and/or the work environment as an employment relations practitioner. As such she or he will develop and hold certain values and be able to integrate general business knowledge and skills with specific knowledge of the human resource management profession, its processes and applications, to achieve his or her purposes.

Rationale

Human Resource Management and Labour Relations are intricately linked with the practice with the one influencing the other either positively or negatively. South Africa has entered a new era in which democratic labour practices are the order of the day with worker rights playing an important role in labour relations. There are new procedures and structures in place in the labour relations sector to accommodate this approach and skilled knowledgeable people are required in the public sector, in businesses and in the labour movement to ensure that labour relations are managed in such a way that fair practice pertains and both employer and employee rights and interests are protected and upheld. This qualification aims to assist persons involved in Labour Relations Practice to develop expertise in Labour Relations management.

• Have good reading and writing skills in English.
• Are able to analyse and respond to variety of texts.
• Are able to learn independently in an Open and Distance Learning context (ODL) with minimum support.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning will be applied on an individual basis and will be in accordance with institutional Recognition of Prior Learning policies. Recognition of Prior Learning will be applied on the basis of agreement between UNISA and the student concerned.

Access to the Qualification

Access to the qualification is open to all learners in possession of an appropriate Bachelor's Degree, an appropriate Advanced Diploma or equivalent cognate qualification. Additional admission requirements (eg a minimum percentage obtained in undergraduate studies) may be set by the University.

Prospective learners who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission may be granted admission by the submission of documentary evidence of the learner being active in the field of Labour Relations Management.

Students with a degree outside the fields of human resource management or labour relations management may be required to register for prerequisite modules from the curriculum of the BCom HRM for non-degree purposes, before admission to this qualification.

The qualification consists of the following modules at NQF Level 8, all of which are compulsory

• Strategic Management.
• Advanced Human Resource Management.
• Collective Bargaining and Negotiation.
• Advanced Labour Law.

Total credits = 120.

Exit level Outcome 1

Utilise the building blocks of strategic management and their inter-relatedness to develop a strategic plan with implementation guidelines in order to manage the labour relations function in an organisation.

Exit level Outcome 2

Demonstrate a fundamental and systematic knowledge of advanced human resource management with a view to determining, designing and implementing appropriate HR systems and practices to ensure proper management of employees in an organisation.

Exit level Outcome 3

Manage labour relations on strategic level in such a way that it contributes towards the achievement of the objectives of the organisation.

Exit level Outcome 4

Negotiate in a specific situation within the context of the South African legislative and organisational policy framework.

Range: Includes the process, approaches, tactics and techniques of labour negotiations.

Exit level Outcome 5

Apply South African labour legislation in an organisational context.

Critical Cross-fields Outcomes

This qualification promotes, in particular, the following critical cross-field outcomes

• Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking. > The ability of the candidate to apply advanced LRM principles, methodologies and techniques in order to independently identify, analyse and manage labour relations trends, practices and problems within the context of employment relations in any organisation.
• Work effectively with others as members of a team, group, organisation or community. > The ability and willingness of the candidate to give and accept work instructions pertaining to LRM, to interpret these correctly and to request assistance in an appropriate manner as a team member or leader.
• Organise and manage himself/herself and his/her activities responsibly and effectively. > In making the necessary preparations for establishing proper procedure, the candidate must indicate what prerequisites are required and must be able to communicate this in writing.
• Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information. > The ability of the candidate to reconcile the information from various sources and examination of physical evidence relevant to LRM.
• Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written presentations. > The ability to present and communicate information and opinions related to the field of LRM in well-structured arguments, showing awareness of audience and using professional discourse appropriately.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation. > The ability of the candidate to identify varying and diverse contexts in which LRM practices are conducted.
• Identify strengths and areas for improvement in own learning through self-reflection and reflection on support for organisational human resources management and practices. > The ability to operate in variable and unfamiliar learning contexts, requiring responsibility and initiative; a capacity to self-evaluate and identify and address personal learning needs and to interact effectively in a learning group.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit level Outcome 1

• Explain what strategic management is and how it fits into contemporary business environment.
• Conceptualise the building blocks of strategic management and the inter-relationship of the various building blocks.
• Critically evaluate a strategic management plan for a multi-business South African organisation.
• Develop a strategic plan with implementation guidelines based on the building blocks of strategic management for a small single/dominant product organisation or a division of a multi-business organisation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit level Outcome 2

• Discuss the functioning of human resource management from an investment perspective with the focus on the challenges human resource management faces.
• Integrate advanced human resource issues with other human resource functions and the operational objectives of the organisation.
• Describe global human resource management and explain how differently the global workforce should be managed.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit level Outcome 3

• Contribute to the overall formulation, implementation and control of organisational strategy from a labour relations management perspective.
• Develop strategies for improved relations within the workplace.
• Interpret both external and internal environmental influences on the strategic management of labour relations in an organisation.
• Formulate a labour relations policy based on the labour relations strategy and the overall strategy of an organisation.
• Oversee the implementation of a labour relations policy in line with organisational and labour relations strategies. >Range: This includes developing and monitoring the implementation of all necessary labour relations policies and procedures in an organisation as well as training and advising line managers on the implementation of policies and procedures.
• Advise on and assist with the handling of serious disciplinary transgressions and terminations.
• Engage in negotiations regarding restructuring, redundancy and retrenchments.
• Advise on and assist with equity plans and processes.
• Plan and execute basic (elementary) research in the field of employment relations and relay results to the appropriate person.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit level Outcome 4

• Establish and maintain structures to facilitate management-union/employee interaction.
• Demonstrate a coherent and critical understanding of the context of conflict, negotiation and collective bargaining.
• Analyse and deal with complex and real collective bargaining and negotiation challenges using theory-based principles.
• Co-ordinate and facilitate management-union/employee interactions (e.g. negotiation).
• Facilitate the conclusion of agreements between management and union/employees.
• Monitor implementation of and adherence to agreements.
• Advise on and assist with dispute resolution in the organisation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit level Outcome 5

• Demonstrate a coherent and critical understanding of South African labour legislation.
• Analyse and deal with complex and real world labour relations challenges using the principles of labour law.
• Advise on and monitor adherence to all relevant labour legislation.

Associated Assessment Criteria

• Demonstrate a coherent and critical understanding of the South African labour legislation.
• Analyse and deal with complex and real world labour relations challenges using the principles of labour law.
• Advise on and monitor adherence to all relevant labour legislation.

Integrated Assessment

• All assessment will integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes and applied competence.

Formative Assessment

Learning and assessment are integrated. The study material contains self-assessment tasks with feedback. The scheme of work includes a combination of written and multiple choice assignments based on the learning material which students have to submit and for which they earn year marks. Students are given feedback in the form of written comments in the assignments and suggested solutions and mark plans presented in a formal tutorial letter. The process is continuous and focuses on smaller sections of the work and a limited number of outcomes.

• Assignment marks contribute 10% towards the student's final mark.

Summative Assessment

Examinations of a representative selection of outcomes practiced and assessed in the formative stage. Summative assessment also tests the student's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge to achieve the stated outcomes of a module.

• One three-hour examination per module per year.
• Unless otherwise stated, a subminimum of 40% must be obtained in the examination.
• The mark obtained in the examination contributes 90% to the student's final mark.