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ADR811S - Advanced Industrial Relations - 1st Opp - June 2022 |
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nAmlBIA un1VERSITY
OF SCIEnCE Ano TECHnOLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCES AND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENOTF MANAGEMENT
QUALIFICATION: HONOURS BACHELOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
QUALIFICATION CODE:
08HBHRM
LEVEL: 8
COURSE CODE: ADR811 S
COURSE NAME: ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL
RELATIONS
SESSION: MAY 2022
DURATION: 3 HOURS
PAPER: THEORY
MARKS: 100
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER
EXAMINER(S)
Dr Andrew Jeremiah
Mr Cathbert Manyando
MODERATOR:
Dr F. Msukubili
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Answer ALL the questions.
2. Write clearly and neatly.
3. Number the answers clearly.
PERMISSIBLE MATERIALS
1. Examination paper.
2. Examination script.
THIS MEMORANDUM PAPER CONSISTS OF 4 PAGES (Including this front page)
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Read the case study and answer all the questions that follow.
Namibia: NBC workers on strike, IFJbacks call for solidarity
Workers
at
the
Namibian
Broadcasting
Corporation,
the country's national public broadcaster, are on strike to protest against
poor working conditions and low pay while managers share millions of dollars in bonuses. The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)and its affiliate, the Namibia Media Professionals
Union (NAM PU) stand in solidarity with the striking workers and urge management to
address their demands urgently and seriously.
Workers at NBC,which has around 600 employees for its radio and television services, went
on nationwide strike on 22 April 2021 after two years of failed negotiations
between management and their union, the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU).
Dozens of staff are on precarious short-term monthly contracts, some for up to 7 years,
including around 60% of news reporters. Union representatives claim the News and Current
Affairs departments are understaffed and journalists are having to take on an excessive
workload covering for missing staff.
Salaries are low and benefits are poor. Despite receiving a subsidy from the government to
help address low pay, management have instead paid out N$5,4 million in bonuses to 16 top
managers and given director-general, Stanley Simila, a vehicle worth about N$2 million, while
telling workers that there was no money to meet their demands.
"The NBC management often hides behind claims of a lack of funds to resolve these issues,
but continues to shower itself with millions of Namibia dollars in irregular bonuses", said
NAMPUGeneral Secretary, Sakeus Likela. He also denounced attempts to intimidate strikers.
NAMPU, has backed the workers calls for NBCmanagement to:
• implement the 8% salary increment,
• addresses concerns regarding workers' employment benefits,
• employ all workers now on one-month contracts on a full-time basis,
• adhere to the set strike rules.
NBCchairperson Lazarus Jacobsthreatened striking workers with a "hostile working
environment" and called for an end to the strike. The IFJ and NAMPU deplore this
unacceptable threat against workers' rights to belong to a trade union and to engage in a
strike, both guaranteed by the Namibian Constitution.
Namibia hosted recently the events around World Press Freedom Day under the title
"Information is a public good", but, ironically, its national public media employees are
working under poor conditions and it failed to broadcast the events due to the strike.
IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: "We stand in solidarity with NBC's striking
workers in their fight for decent salaries and working conditions. We will mobilise
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international support to help the workers secure justice and fair pay. Management must stop
sending threatening messages to workers exercising their right to go on strike and negotiate
with the union's representatives for decent working conditions".
(Adapted from the Namibian 23rd April 2021)
1.1 Articulate the collective bargaining process up to the level where a dispute is
declared, and eventually industrial action or strike action is suggested. (8)
1.2 Discuss the genuineness of the reasons why NBC employees went strike. (10)
1.3 There are different types of strikes beside a general strike the NBC employees in
the case study embarked on. Discuss each of the different types of strikes given
below.
• Go-slows
• Work-to-rules
• Work-ins / sit-ins
• Productboycotts
• Picketing
• Socio-economic protest action (12)
1.4 Discuss the concept "Protected strike" and whether NAPWU complied with the
dictates of the Labour Act Number 11, of 2007 (10)
1.5 "The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Namibia
Media Professional Union (NAMPU) stood in solidarity with striking workers."
Explain what you understand by the term "solidarity" in the case study. (5)
1.6 Explain methods of dispute resolution such as duty to bargain,
Mediation/conciliation, arbitration and fact finding that NAPWU and NBC
management could have used. (10)
2. Differentiate between a code of ethics and a code of conduct. (10)
3. Examine the concept of integrity in the labour market. (10)
4. Discuss ethical decision making and the approaches that can be used in that
process. (10)
6. Comment on the arguments used by either party such as in the case of NBC and
NAPWU wage negotiations. (1Oi)
[END OF EXAMINATION]
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