Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership

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Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Editorial

                                                                                                                               FROM THE EDITOR
T
        his issue is a collaborative   that if one has a qualification         proceed with caution as access to
        effort with the Education      they will get a job. Like in New        post-school education and training
        Policy Consortium (EPC) –      Brighton the learners also talk         (PSET) alone does not address the
a collective that is committed to      of ‘meaningful skills’ including        legacy of apartheid and requires
transforming education in South        carpentry, plumbing, electrical and     broader social and economic
Africa – and it is by design that      design.                                 reforms.
most of the articles are on post-        The skills debate is unravelled          Learning from the past is
school education and training.         by Britt Baatjes; John Treat and        also critical, as Sheri Hamilton
   What is striking about EPC’s        Enver Motala; Siphelo Ngcwangu          looks back at missed policy
work is the research that is taking    and David Balwanz. Common               opportunities to carry out mass
place in communities, as seen in       catch phrases like upskill, reskill,    literacy campaigns that could have
the articles on the EV2 projects.      retrain and refocus are seen as         brought better results to adult
   Researchers go to the field to      mantras. This kind of language is       education. Some articles explain
learn about what communities are       insufficient in explaining scarce       the EPC thinking on post-schooling
doing, but in that process they        skills. What is not addressed in the    such as Thalia Eccles’s arguments
are also able to reflect on their      skills debate is the crisis of global   that knowledge is created through
understanding of society. Britt        corporate capitalism and a formal       community education.
Baatjes, Sonya Leurquain-Steyn,        labour market that cannot absorb           If you want to access post-
Olwam Mnqwazi and Khanyisile           all the workers. Associated with        schooling education where do you
Ngalo write about their research       this is SA capitalism’s neo-liberal     go? Are there enough places for all
trip to Is’baya in the Eastern Cape.   economic policies like the Growth       who are interested? Ronel Blom
During the trip they are struck        Employment and Redistribution           looks at what exists in the country
by the ‘wealth and richness’ of        (Gear) Strategy and the National        and also where the gaps are.
the community that one cannot          Development Plan.                          On other matters, this issue
measure in material terms.               Therefore, SA industrial policy is    also has an article that explains
   Olwam Mnqwazi discusses his         founded on warped thinking, writes      the importance of resources to
experience with the Vezokuhle          Palesa Molebatsi arguing that it        the National Health Insurance
Youth Development Project in           should however focus on absorbing       programme. Shakira Choonara
New Brighton, Port Elizabeth.          ‘unskilled’ and ‘low skilled’ workers   and John Eyles look at how other
During discussions education is        instead of being concerned with         countries have managed to secure
associated with broken promises        technological leap frogging.            funds for universal health care.
as those who acquired it have no         Some articles analyse policy             A court judgment in Zimbabwe
jobs but at the same time they say     decisions, such as Paul Kgobe           led to massive job losses.
it is empowering.                      and Ivor Baatjes who argue that         Munyaradzi Gwisai looks at how
   In a similar vein Sandile Zwane,    the White Paper points in the           the court erred.
David Balwanz and Itumeleng            right direction on social justice in
Moabi talk to youth from the Vaal      education as well as addressing         Elijah Chiwota
and conclude that it is a myth         inequality. Nevertheless, one must      Editor

                                                                                                   August/September 2015   1
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
The South African Labour
Bulletin’s mission is to:
• provide information and stimulate
    critical analysis and debate on
    issues and challenges that confront
    workers, their organisations and their
    communities; and
• communicate this in an accessible
    and engaging manner.
In so doing the SALB hopes to advance

                                             In the workplace
progressive politics, promote social
justice and the interests of the
working class.

Copyright © Umanyano Publications.           Security officers win right to equal pay
All rights reserved. No part of this
                                             Zenzo Mahlangu .................................................................................................... 4
publication may be reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying,          Are workplaces safe and supportive
without permission in writing from           Real-life experiences of LGBT women
Umanyano Publications.
                                             Nina Benjamin, Nosipho Twala and Finn Reygan ............................................ 5
Published by Umanyano Publications
89/00595/23                                  Unlocking labour laws
ISSN03775429                                 Is it CV fraud? ............................................................................................................ 9
Physical Address:

                                             In the union
5th Floor, Cosatu House
Cnr Jorissen and Simmonds Streets
Braamfontein

Postal Address:                              Safpu scoring own goals on gender
PO Box 3851, Johannesburg, 2000
South Africa
                                             David Bogopa ....................................................................................................... 10

Phone: 011 403 3075                          Numsa and skills development policies
Fax: 011 403 9873                            Siphelo Ngcwangu ............................................................................................... 12
Email: salb@icon.co.za
Web: southafricanlabourbulletin.org.za

Editor: Elijah Chiwota
Administrator: Nomkhosi Nkomonde
Editorial Assistance: Di Stuart
                                             In the community
Design: Blue Apple Publishing                About EPC
Printing: Intrepid Printers, Johannesburg
                                             Transforming education in SA ................................................................................. 14
Editorial Board:
Chris Bonner, Molly Dhlamini,                Voices on post-school education and training
Jane Barrett, Seeraj Mohamed,
                                             Views from New Brighton
Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen, Asanda Benya,
Neo Bodibe and Tahir Sema
                                             Olwam Mnqwazi .................................................................................................. 17

Honorary Board Members:                      Two villages
Edward Webster, Adam Habib and
                                             One inspiring experience
Karl von Holdt
                                             Britt Baatjes, Sonya Leurquain-Steyn, Olwam Mnqwazi
The views expressed by contributors          and Khanyisile Ngalo ........................................................................................... 21
are not necessarily those of the
editorial board of Umanyano
Publications.
                                             Reflections on community education
                                             Dialogues in Bluelilies Bushes
SA Labour Bulletin would like to thank       Sonya Leurquain-Steyn ....................................................................................... 26
the following organisations for their
support: Strengthening Civil Society
Fund (Department of Labour), Open
                                             Post-school education in the Vaal
Society Foundation of South Africa           Identifying possibilities for change
(OSF-SA), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES)     Sandile Zwane, David Balwanz and Itumeleng Moabi ................................... 29
Cover image: SALB

2        SA Labour Bulletin
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Creating knowledge through community education
                                                                                              contents
Thalia Eccles ......................................................................................................... 33

If the mind is fuzzy, eyes can’t see
Dialogue on post-schooling
Elijah Chiwota ...................................................................................................... 38

On politics and economics
Adapt and die
Alternative views to skills and employment
Britt Baatjes .......................................................................................................... 39

Situating the skills gap debate
John Treat and Enver Motala ............................................................................. 41

Insufficiency of skills shortage language
Siphelo Ngcwangu and David Balwanz ............................................................ 44

Post-school learning opportunities
What is available for youth and adults?
Ronel Blom ............................................................................................................ 46

Industrial policy, knowledge economy and manufacturing
Palesa Molebatsi .................................................................................................. 50

On the White Paper
Some new policy directions
Paul Kgobe and Ivor Baatjies ............................................................................ 53

Adult education
Imagining what might have been
Sheri Hamilton ..................................................................................................... 56

Financing universal health care in SA
Shakira Choonara and John Eyles .................................................................... 58

Across the globe
Dismissal on notice:
Zim court resurrects colonial ghost
Munyaradzi Gwisai ............................................................................................. 61

                                                                                                                              August/September 2015   3
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Security officers win
                     right to equal pay
IN THE WORKPLACE

                     The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) welcomes the release of the
                     Sectoral Determination for the Private Security Sector as it removes the apartheid slavery
                     demarcation of pay grading, writes Zenzo Mahlangu.

                     T
                            he Minister of Labour,             Area 2 has also been incorporated        We hope ultimately to raise salaries
                            Nelisiwe Oliphant, has          into Area 1: these relate to urban       of all security officers to better living
                            published the Sectoral          and rural area differentiation.          earnings.This not only fixes the wages
                     Determination for the Private          The basic salary rates for security      of security officers but also improves
                     Security Sector, which sets out        officers in Area 2 will be the same      the security industry to a well-
                     basic employment standards and         as of Area 1 in the third year of the    respected profession.
                     minimum wages for South Africa’s       determination.                              Satawu knows that gross inequality
                     security officers.                        The salary gap between grades         in terms of wages and conditions in
                       The Sectoral Determination is for    C to E will be closed, and the gap       the security sector is certainly a recipe
                     three years commencing effective       in areas will be reduced from            not only for insecurity and strikes, but
                     from 1 September 2015 to               five to three in the last year of        also for wider social instability.
                     1 September 2017.                      the determination. This is a great          We are glad that the minister has
                       The major gain the union was         achievement in doing away with           taken into consideration the work
                     able to achieve in the negotiations    apartheid slavery demarcation. It will   done by the negotiations team into
                     was the phasing out of Grade D         give fresh ground for renaming the       the promulgation.
                     and E in the securities sector. The    areas into urban and rural areas.           The Sectoral Determination, in line
                     basic salary of a Grade D and E           Our view is that it should be         with international best practice, is
                     employee will be equal to that of a    aligned to the current dispensation      set for a period of three years.The
                     Grade C with effect from the third     of municipality demarcation such as      minimum wages are set out as shown
                     year of the determination.             metros and/or city councils.             in the table below:

                                                                      Areas A                        Areas B                        Areas C
                      Grade A                                          R4,571                         R4,177                          R3,794
                      Grade B                                          R4,096                         R3,739                          R3,452
                      Grade C                                          R3,545                         R3,258                          R2,948
                      Grade D & E                                      R3,482                         R3,162                          R2,874

                     Another big victory for the workers    security officers and workers            well equipped for the 2018 wage
                     was an abolition of the definitions    at large.                                negotiations.
                     of ship and cargo officers. These        The security industry is bigger          We should all be looking beyond
                     workers are now aligned to the         than what it has ever been in South      immediate battles to a better
                     current existing grades, and they      Africa and the irony is that people      economic system and pledge to
                     will receive benefits such as the      who own security companies earn          continue fighting for all the
                     provident fund which they were         far more than the men and women          vulnerable workers’ demands for
                     deprived of in the past.               who protect us. This three-year          higher salaries.
                       Satawu admits there’s still lot of   breakthrough will give us space to
                     work to be done to further improve     go to the ground and consult more        Zenzo Mahlangu is the general
                     the working standards of the           with our members so that we are          secretary of Satawu.

               4   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Are workplaces safe and supportive?

                                                                                                                                IN THE WORKPLACE
Real-life experiences of LGBT women

   Gender stereotyping is all too common in South African workplaces and few employers
   have policies in place relating to inclusive workplace ‘cultures’. It is worse for lesbian
   gay bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) workers, write Nina Benjamin, Nosipho Twala
   and Finn Reygan.

W
           orkplace culture is          femininely and wearing make-           that I can get, but I’ve decided not
           understood as the            up or jewellery can mean that a        to hurt myself.’
           invisible set of rules an    lesbian or gender-nonconforming           T-man opts to work at non-
employee navigates, sometimes           woman ‘fits in’, but is also often     governmental organisations
with the support of co-workers,         read as her being ‘available’ to       (NGOs), where she believes she
but often alone. In South Africa,       men. After disclosing her sexual       will be welcomed and respected.
workplaces are gendered in              orientation, Phiwe encountered            ‘I have never worked for any
complex and intersecting ways:          animosity and confusion from           company because, as a butch
ideas, processes, structures and        colleagues: ‘Immediately after         lesbian, I’m easily identified
practices often reinforce and           me coming out, things started          during an interview. Anyone can
normalise social expectations           changing in a serious way.             pick up that I’m lesbian and
about masculinity and femininity.       Everybody was on my case and           as a result I do not get hired. I
The most obvious example of this        watching every move that I made.’      have always worked in NGOs
is how certain jobs continue to be         Nkele, who identifies as a butch    ... There are very few lesbians
perceived as women’s jobs. These        lesbian, speaks here about the         employed in companies: most of
heteronormative assumptions             difficulties she has experienced       them are working for NGOs or
have direct and far-reaching            in accessing employment because        are self-employed. Those that are
consequences for LGBT workers,          of her gender expression. She          employed got that job through a
who are expected to conform to          believes her presentation is an        referral or a network. They may
expectations about how to dress,        obstacle for securing a job, with      be referred by a friend, cousin
act and self-identify.                  potential employers disregarding       or a relative who is employed in
   Phiwe explains how she               her application because of             the same company, but when you
presents as feminine in the             her clothing and other gender          make one mistake you are kicked
workplace and is therefore              signifiers.                            out.’
perceived to be adhering to the            ‘When I buy Job Mail and want          Ella also identifies as a butch
‘rules’ of gender: ‘I dress feminine.   to apply for a job, I think about      lesbian. She worked for a few
I put on my make-up and it is not       the past and know that they            years at a government department
a problem, until I say that I am        would look at my appearance            and refused to give into pressure
a lesbian. But when it comes to         and know that I’m lesbian. So          about how to dress. ‘From my side
a butch (masculine) person, it is       I’ll rather not apply, even though     it is really obvious: I walk in and
difficult.’                             I’ve done so many courses that         they say, “Dress code!” Some of
   Gay and Lesbian Memory in            put me at an advantage. I have         them stare, hide and talk. [They
Action and the Labour Research          qualifications and certificates that   say:] “You are a chick but you are
Service argue that dressing             can fill the room. There are jobs      wearing men’s clothes.” Some of

                                                                                                    August/September 2015   5
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
them react weird and some of             She has worked at more than 10          Men started remarking that I
                     them accept, but it takes time.          clinics in the district because she     look like a man and that is why I
                     I don’t give a f...!’                    is a butch lesbian. They treat her      passed. They asked me if I think
IN THE WORKPLACE

                        The focus group participants          badly. They don’t even select her       I will survive underground. They
                     sometimes disagreed about                to attend trainings and workshops.      said that it’s dark and slippery
                     the best way to challenge                As a result she does not qualify for    underground and if you do not
                     discrimination, with some                a promotion.’                           have balance you will fall. [They
                     believing that it is better to              Participants reported having         said] only men can survive
                     conform to gender norms in order         to choose between disclosing            underground; this work is for men.
                     to access employment.                    their identities and thus facing        I think they didn’t know that I am
                        Bongiwe: ‘My advice to you is         unemployment, or hiding who             lesbian. After signing the contract,
                     that when you butches go to an           they are in order to earn a living.     I broke my leg and had to go back
                     interview, you must dress like a         This is particularly the case in        home. I ended up losing my job.
                     lady.’                                   communities where people know           I spent four months recovering,
                        T-man: ‘No! No! No! I can’t           each other, as Phiwe explains:          but sent in all the medical reports.
                     pretend. I was born lesbian and I           ‘My friend said to me: “Please,      When I went back, my post had
                     will die lesbian. Even my mother         when you get there, just deny who       vanished.’
                     and father died knowing that             you are”. It is a local organisation.      Despite qualifying for the job,
                     I’m lesbian. Why must I pretend?         She said that the person I was          Nkele experienced the kind of
                     People can see from my work              going to hand in my CV to knows         discrimination that many women
                     that I’m not a lady ... Imagine          me, knows I’m lesbian, and I            encounter when entering a
                     me in a dress! They will see my          just have to deny it. I thought to      male-dominated industry. But
                     movements and will question              myself: how do I deny who I am?         there was a second level of
                     it. I cannot change my sexuality         Is the work based on my sexuality,      discrimination here because she
                     for a job. Let South Africa and          or is it going to be based on           was perceived to dress like a man.
                     the Constitution push for LGBT           what I am capable of doing? So I        Nkele tried to gain support from
                     people to be hired based on their        decided not to hand in my CV. I         the workers’ organisation but
                     experience, level of education and       am not going to sell myself short       instead experienced secondary
                     qualifications.’                         for something that is not going to      victimisation.
                        The issue of when and how to          even last forever. What I am is who        ‘I think unions can assist
                     come out was an important talking        I am, and this will last for the rest   in helping workers and the
                     point. Participants were aware           of my life.’                            community to accept LGBT
                     of the potential consequences,              Participants also reflected on       people. Unions need to be LGBT
                     which can range from harassment          gender stereotypes and societal         friendly and to treat seriously
                     and the restricting of job duties,       expectations, and on how certain        every reported incident. The
                     through to threats of and actual         occupations are considered              National Union of Mineworkers
                     violence. The comment below was          appropriate for men and                 (NUM) officer dragged my case;
                     shared at the Limpopo dialogue.          appropriate for women. Nkele, for       I phoned and phoned and then
                        ‘Dressing up in order to get a        example, shared her experience          decided to pay him a visit. When
                     job does not mean you are weak.          of being interviewed for a job          I got there, he asked me if I was
                     I just think that it’s easier to fight   in the mining sector. Extractive        lesbian in a room full of men. They
                     the system from within. If you           industries not only remain              all looked at me; I was humiliated.’
                     need a job, you will do anything to      male dominated, they are also              Gender-based violence is
                     get it. I think that as LGBT people      considered by many to be a male         endemic in South Africa, and
                     we need a strategy. We can dress         realm – that is, as unsuitable site     many women struggle to access
                     up for the interview and only            for women.                              services or to assert their basic
                     disclose who we are after a few             ‘I went to an interview to be a      rights. Lesbian, bisexual and
                     months of employment.’                   machine operator at the Lonmin          gender-nonconforming women
                        T-man shared the experience           mine in Rustenburg. The position        face two intersecting forms
                     of a friend who has struggled to         wanted both men and women. I            of oppression: firstly, because
                     hold down a job because of her           was the only woman who came             of their sex; secondly, because
                     butch gender presentation. ‘Let          for the interview. I was appointed      of their sexual orientation or
                     me tell you something. A friend          and went for a medical check-           gender-nonconformance. For
                     of mine was hired as a nurse and         up and passed it. I only failed         this reason, lesbian, bisexual and
                     disclosed after a few months of          the acclimatisation test, but after     gender-nonconforming workers
                     employment that she is lesbian.          trying it for three days, I passed.     face unique challenges on top

               6   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
of those they share with other         advantage for her. ‘Everyone says         ‘Because I’m open, people find
women. Lesbianism and gender-          to me “Hola!” – even the manager.      it easy to accept me. When they
nonconformance, for instance, are      Maybe I am friendly, or talk too       speak about their families on

                                                                                                                              IN THE WORKPLACE
sometimes linked in people’s minds     much. I have been working there        Mondays, I also tell them about
to predatory behaviours or sexual      for eight years. In the beginning      my partner. When I keep quite or
deviancy, and this misconception       some of them were scared about         stay out of the discussion, they
can be used as a weapon against        getting to know me. I gave them a      worry. Most of my colleagues ask
lesbian, bisexual and gender-          positive reaction and ... they found   me to help them when a relative
nonconforming workers.                 that I was open.’                      discloses their sexual orientation.
  As T-man explains, openly              Mamkete works as a supervisor        I really do not have a problem
LGBT workers can sometimes             in a cleaning company. She             at work. Everyone knows that
be accused of misconduct               reports experiencing sexism and        I’m lesbian, and after attending
simply because of their sexual         homophobia, but feels she is able      my first Pride this year, I brought
orientation. ‘People didn’t accept     to overcome these by acting as a       pictures and shared them with
me because they thought that I         positive role model. She explains      the team. I am very jolly and
was going to rape them. When           here how her strengths as a            outspoken ... I do not play victim.
we went to workshops, I used to        supervisor, her warm personality       When it’s time to work, I work;
sleep alone as no-one wanted to        and her spirituality have helped       when it’s time to party, I party;
share [a room] with me ... Some        her to cultivate a supportive and      when it’s time to pray, I pray. So
participants went to an extent of      accepting environment.                 who can hate me? I don’t hide
claiming that I had raped them.          ‘The challenge I have is usually     behind my sexual orientation.’
This discrimination continued          with the new males who are                Nonkululeko works in the male-
until I decided to challenge it.       recruited. They become very            dominated chemical industry and
They will accuse you of touching       stubborn in the beginning and          ascribes the lack of discrimination
a colleague inappropriately and        refuse to take instructions from       she has experienced to her ‘strong
you will be fired because people       me because I’m a woman. Some           personality’. However, she knows
think that homosexuals want to         of them even make a point of           of other LGBT people who are
rape every same-sex person they        reminding me that I’m not a man        not so fortunate. ‘As time goes by
come across ... These people are       and that I must stop behaving like     people start accepting me. I have
homophobic and they have tricks.’      one. I do not report them because      a strong personality and stand my
  The ‘tricks’ T-man speaks about      the grievance process takes too        ground. I have not experienced
are often linked to common             long, but I gently educate them.       much discrimination at work, not
stereotypes about lesbianism: that     In short, I make them my project.      like as a child being called names
lesbians are women imitating men,      Men also have a tendency to think      ... I have found a group of older
are sexual deviants, cannot have       that if they treat you nicely or       men who accept me. They say:
healthy relationships, that they       propose love, you will change and      “You like women, we like women
cannot control their sexual urges      become straight.’                      – you are one of us!” I say: “No, I
and so on.                               ‘The other challenge I have is       am not one of you.” But they were
                                       that when I fight or quarrel with      very welcoming towards me.’
Responses to discrimination            my colleagues, they sometimes             ‘A former gay male colleague
The participant accounts               call me a stabane. I do not allow      of mine was harassed. I did not
reveal the strong influence            this to get to me because this         spend much time with him, but
of stereotypes and cultural            only happens when we fight. As a       afterwards when we met up
norms on work environments.            person who grew up with siblings,      – he had moved to a different
Many noted how these social            I know that this always happens        company – he said he was being
factors sustain homophobia             in a fight. Some of them apologise     harassed but decided to bottle it
and transphobia, and make it           afterwards. When they say              up. Sometimes I think it is easier
difficult for lesbian, bisexual and    stabane, my response is “proudly       to be lesbian in a male-dominated
gender-nonconforming women             so, my dear!” My spirituality has      environment than to be gay, which
to undertake their work duties.        taught me that forgiveness is an       is associated with femininity.
However, some women felt their         important part of building any         We work with chemicals and at
personality traits helped them to      relationship.’                         the end of each shift we shower.
overcome tensions and to become          For Mamkete, being open and          In the showers, he was called
more accepted by colleagues.           honest about her life is the best      stabane, but he kept quiet and left.
  Ella, for instance, feels that her   way to confront prejudice in her       He kept quiet and decided that
positive demeanour has been an         team:                                  this was not for him.’

                                                                                                  August/September 2015   7
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
For both Mamkete and                an LGBT person to be a                foreclose discussions about
                     Nonkululeko, having a strong          community health-care worker          gender stereotyping or to avoid
                     personality and being open            ... Now, what happened after          responsibilities in relation to
IN THE WORKPLACE

                     about their identity has helped       appointing this person [is that]      combating discrimination. Winnie,
                     them fight discrimination, but it     the community rejected him.           a heterosexual manager at an
                     must be noted that both women,        Suddenly the programme was            investment company, feels that
                     as supervisors, have a level of       no longer effective. My targets       this will only change with greater
                     authority.                            were no longer effective. In the      visibility of LGBT employees.
                       Some participants also spoke        next year, when I was doing           Here she shares a story about a
                     about how they have used              appointments, there was another       gender-nonconforming colleague.
                     activism to bring about change        LGBT person who was shortlisted.         ‘My experience in Pretoria
                     in their workplaces. Phiwe and        He had potential, but I decided on    is with a lesbian who presents
                     Nonkululeko are both trade union      my own that he is not getting the     as a man, wearing expensive
                     activists and have worked hard        opportunity because my targets        clothes – Pringle or Crockett &
                     to educate their comrades in the      would be affected. I was rated        Jones – and you forgot that this
                     workers’ movement. Phiwe reflects     as underperforming because this       is not a man. She was proud to
                     on how it can be possible to alter    person is not being accepted into     introduce the girlfriend and she
                     perceptions within a workplace.       the kinds of households he was        spoke about “my wife”. You got
                       ‘Start with co-workers and          working in. So this was the kind      interested in her life, in who
                     officials ... I would work my         of dilemma that I was put in, and     she is, because she embraces
                     way up. I had a year plan that I      it was a reality that I had to face   who she is, she talks, walks and
                     would include LGBT [rights] and       at that time.’                        dresses like a man. She would be
                     I would have workshops with              In this case, community            a beautiful man. I learnt to respect
                     the unemployed, the cleaners          attitudes and religious beliefs       that she was not worried about
                     and everybody, including the          made it difficult for the employee    what people said about her. She
                     community.’                           to do his job. ‘LGBT people do        is being who she is regardless of
                       Nonkululeko also proposed           not even get hired [in the health-    anything. People will embrace
                     starting with the lower levels of     care industry]. There are patients    what you believe in, and if you are
                     leadership and working upwards.       who need to be washed, to be          doubtful others will be doubtful.’
                     She believes such a process is        bathed and dressed, and they             Yet Winnie’s suggestion that
                     about empowering people with          reject an LGBT employee. So you,      LGBT workers need to be more
                     knowledge.                            as the project manager, find that     open and proud is at odds with
                       ‘Start with the lower level of      there are a whole lot of people       Jabu’s observation that being
                     leadership, the members and the       who want to be employed, but          open can prevent LGBT workers
                     gender activists. Once we have        you cannot hire them because          from doing their jobs. This may be
                     the foundation right, the gender      they will not be able to work         due to sectoral differences – for
                     activists need knowledge. People      in the community ... In most          instance, openness may be more
                     are ignorant, and with uneducated     communities they will say, “Why       difficult in the health-care
                     people what they do not know          should we have this when we do        industry than in finance. Winnie’s
                     does not exist. If we empower         not even have gays and lesbians       comment also highlights an
                     people with knowledge, people         in our community?” When you           interesting paradox: without
                     will be free to act. We do not have   explain [that the community           proper support from colleagues
                     a manual to prescribe our lives:      has] people with different            and managers, LGBT employees
                     whatever works for you is fine.       sexualities, they will say, “We are   are unlikely to come out; but
                     Practise tolerance.’                  all Christians so there is no need    support and policy reform will
                                                           to speak about gender equity or       only take place once LGBT
                     Management experiences                to even speak about sexuality in      employees have come out.
                     The study participants                this space”.’
                     acknowledged that sometimes              Entrenched norms can make          This article is taken from a
                     difficult decisions have to be        it difficult for people to accept     longer report titled ‘Are our
                     made by managers. Jabu, a health-     diversity or to adjust work           workplaces safe and supportive?
                     care manager, explains the            practices. Multiple participants      Real-life experiences of
                     negative community reaction she       reported colleagues or managers       lesbian, bisexual and gender-
                     encountered after hiring a gay man.   saying ‘This is just the way          nonconforming women’, by Nina
                       ‘Some years ago I facilitated       that things are done!’ Such           Benjamin, Nosipho Twala and
                     some interviews and I appointed       statements can be used to             Finn Reygan.

               8   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Unlocking labour laws

                                                                                                                                 IN THE WORKPLACE
Is it CV fraud?

H
         onesty is the best policy       Refcheck Advanced data showed            There is also a chance they
         – except, it seems, when     that in 2014 a quarter of all matric     would have difficulty meeting the
         it comes to your CV and      certificates checked through this        expectations set out in the new
that coveted job you’re after.        online verification tool could           position if they are not adequately
The recent spate of high-profile      not be confirmed and there               qualified or experienced.
CV fraud cases in the media           was no record of the candidates             ‘There’s no getting away from
has highlighted the degree            having matriculated. One in 15           the fact that people in South Africa
of subjectivity around what           tertiary qualifications could not        are applying for and getting jobs
constitutes a lie and ultimately      be confirmed due to invalid data,        that they aren’t qualified for, at the
qualifications fraud.                 incomplete courses or no record          expense of those who are,’ says
   Greg Brown, director of            of a candidate. A third of all global    Brown.
Governance, Risk & Compliance         qualifications checked through              This becomes even more
at LexisNexis South Africa said       Refcheck Advanced could not be           prevalent the further away from
fraud cases were not always as        verified.                                graduation you get. Recruiters
straightforward and as clear cut as      Other misrepresentations include      assume previous employers
they may seem.                        fake employment certificates,            would have made the checks
   ‘A lie doesn’t necessarily have    providing incorrect past roles and       and that experience and skills, as
to be an outright false statement.    responsibilities, inflated job titles,   demonstrated by an exemplary
Omissions can be just as              not disclosing criminal records,         work track record, carry more
dishonest. And if an employee did     providing false reasons for changing     weight.
lie, how their employer responded     jobs and inflating previous salary          ‘The employee/employer
to it is often just as important      figures.                                 relationship is one that’s built upon
in upholding the integrity of the        ‘There are instances where one        trust and from an employer’s point
organisation,’ he said.               might feel that it is acceptable to      of view it can be seen as a serious
   ‘An employer has a                 get a little creative with their CV      character flaw if an employee
responsibility to carry out           because they feel they can actually      lied about something small. The
proper checks and balances            do the job. They feel they should        employer may also seek out more
before offering employment. But       not be discounted because their          information at a later date, especially
applicants should also not be         skills are still on par with others      if they feel the employee is not
mistaken: if you misrepresent         who have the paperwork in place,’        meeting expectations,’ notes Brown.
information on your CV it is lying,   says Brown.                                 He adds: ‘A simple lie could have
it is fraud – and most importantly,                                            career-long reputational
it is illegal,’ advised Brown.        Serious Consequences                     consequences. You can pretty much
                                      ‘But while an untruth or omission        wave your employment references
Common misrepresentations             about your academic or professional      goodbye if you’re found to have
Brown said the most common CV         qualifications may seem innocuous        provided false information on your
misrepresentations, according to      in the grand scheme of things, it’s a    CV. Employees who have lied on
Refcheck Advanced data, are found     high risk strategy that can backfire     their CV also generally have no legal
in the education section of the CV.   badly,’ cautions Brown.                  recourse against their former
  Common embellishments                 Individuals often have to create       employers.’
include non-existent matric           more lies to cover the initial one,
certificates, inflated education,     as co-workers ask questions about        This article is from a media
unfinished degrees and even fake      their background and they have to        release by LexisNexis® Legal &
degree certificates.                  perpetuate the false information.        Professional.

                                                                                                     August/September 2015   9
Editorial - Labour Market Intelligence Partnership
Safpu scoring own goals
                  on gender
IN THE UNION

                  Despite 21 years into democracy gender inequality within soccer is unresolved and it’s worse
                  in women soccer. One would have thought it will be better in the footballers union, the South
                  African Football Players Union (Safpu), but that is not the case, writes David Bogopa.

                  A
                          ccording to the Gender        interviewed key women soccer            perception that soccer belongs to
                          Policy Framework for Local    players and coaches. The research       boys and men.
                          Government document,          discovered that women were                Ogunniyi in her study of the
                  gender equality, gender equity        still not fairly represented in         perceptions of the African Women’s
                  and women empowerment are             South African soccer structures.        Championship which was held
                  outcomes of effective gender          For example, a former South             shortly after the much talked-about
                  mainstreaming and intervention        African Women National Soccer           2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup in
                  which unfortunately is not            coach complained about sexual           South Africa, concluded that the
                  happening.                            harassment incidents where some         men’s tournament received a huge
                    Gender inequality in soccer is      members of the male technical           media coverage even six months
                  not only a South African problem.     team were sexually involved with        prior to the start of the tournament.
                  According to Bodey the inequality     female soccer players.                  During the tournament a large
                  in soccer within the Moroccan            Mennesson discovered that power      contingent of soccer journalists and
                  context is also shown by a few        relations in soccer in France still     commentators converged in South
                  women within the Morocco              favoured males. Women in soccer         Africa to report to the world about
                  Football Association particularly     were marginalised as men had            the tournament.
                  at the executive level. In a study    power and control of the sport.           However, few months after the
                  Bodey argued that sport has           Female managers were relegated to       2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the
                  traditionally been considered         the women’s committee with fewer        African Women’s Championship
                  a man’s preserve. Men owned,          means at their disposal to advance      started and the media coverage was
                  organised, coached, competed and      women soccer in a meaningful            less as compared to the men’s FIFA
                  watched the sport to the exclusion    manner. What is also worrying is        World Cup. The majority of soccer
                  of women. Religious, medical and      that in national leagues were rules     loving people and the general
                  societal beliefs demoted women to     which clearly stipulate a feminine      public were not even aware that
                  their homes as wives and mothers.     bodily appearance for female            there was an important women
                  Cultural expectations in many         players. Some of the male managers      soccer tournament taking place at
                  communities about appropriate         of women’s soccer were known            that time.
                  feminine behaviour and gender-        to have waged a moral crusade             Ogunniyi argued that although
                  bound roles have curtailed women’s    designed to marginalise or exclude      there are sports policy documents
                  active participation in sport for a   homosexual players from their           in place addressing issues of
                  long period.                          teams.                                  gender inequality in soccer,
                    Sharing the same sentiments            In the research that I carried out   however, women soccer continue
                  regarding gender inequality, Naidoo   in the Gauteng province’s township      to be marginalised. Women are still
                  and Muholi also contributed to        schools I discovered that South         grappling with issues such as media
                  research on gender relations in       African township schools were still     coverage and enough competitive
                  soccer focussing on the South         grappling with cultural stereotypes     soccer competitions both at local
                  African Women National Soccer         regarding who is entitled to play       and national levels.
                  team also known as Banyana            soccer. The majority of male              Interviews with 10 female
                  Banyana. Naidoo and Muholi            learners and educators still have the   footballers were conducted in

           10   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
Gender inequality within Safpu is currently of great concern. The executive committee
of the union as shown on its website is only made up of an all-male team of former
Premier Soccer League members yet soccer is played by both males and females. Over
the years, there is a lack of transformation and diversity within the executive structure

                                                                                                                                 IN THE UNION
of the union.

Johannesburg and Cape Town as             Pelak’s research looks at how         structures are supposed to operate
well as with their family members.      South African women soccer              within Safpu. Diversity is also
Some of the issues raised included      players have previously negotiated      lacking within the Safpu executive
sexual stereotypes where members        material and ideological barriers       structure as there are no white or
of the teams were labelled as           and constructed new sporting            coloured members. Young members
lesbians.                               identities. Pelak used a Marxist        are also excluded from occupying
                                        Feminist Anthropological framework      leadership roles.
Marxist Feminist thinking               to understand the micro-level              That being the case this
To understand issues of gender          experiences of competitive              situation can be addressed
inequality in soccer, scholars          soccer athletes within the macro-       by transforming the gender
mentioned in this article used          level structures in South Africa        representation and changing
the Marxist Feminist theoretical        which continued to be shaped            the union’s complexion in its
approach. The themes that emerged       by the legacies of apartheid            next elections by introducing
from this approach clearly point        and colonialism. The research           female members to its executive
to two directions: gender as            was based at the South African          committee. This can be achieved
biologically constructed and            Football Association headquarters       by recruiting the current crop
gender as socially and culturally       in Johannesburg as well as the          of female professional players as
constructed.                            Western Cape Province in Cape           well as those who have retired
   Birrell used the theory to explain   Town. She conducted semi-               who can make a meaningful
gender relations within the context     structured interviews among seven       contribution for the development
of sport in general but without         soccer players and eleven soccer        of soccer including the protection
focusing on a specific country          administrators in the two cities. She   of soccer players’ rights.
and argues that in terms of the         concluded that South African soccer        Further, a leadership succession
Marxist feminist theory, there is       was divided along gender lines. For     and development plan within
an assumption that women are            example, men and boys dominated         Safpu is greatly needed taking into
oppressed within patriarchal            soccer while women and girls            consideration that at some stage
cultures. Sport is seen as a gendered   continued to be marginalised.           the current leadership must step
activity: it not only welcomes boys       The South African media also          down and new blood introduced.
and men more enthusiastically than      ignored matches such as the one            The issue of diversity need to be
girls and women but also serves         between Nigeria and South African       addressed by including white and
as a platform for celebrating skills    Women national soccer teams.            coloured soccer players within the
and values marked as masculine.                                                 PSL as well as former players.
Sport in many patriarchal societies     Recommendations                            The constitution of Safpu can
is referred to as a ‘male preserve’,    Gender inequality within Safpu          also be made available online to
hence sport is seen to be a             is currently of great concern. The      public scrutiny and for researchers
logical site for analysis of gender     executive committee of the union as     to understand how the footballers
relationships.                          shown on its website is only made       operates.
   Further, Strathern argued that       up of an all-male team of former           It is highly recommended that
whether women are publicly valued       Premier Soccer League members yet       Safpu must organise workshops on
or privately secluded, whether          soccer is played by both males and      gender relations with the view of
they control politics and economic      females. Over the years, there is a     addressing the current scenario.
activities, societies cannot begin to   lack of transformation and diversity    Why is the union is male
understand why and how women in         within the executive structure of       dominated?
many societies have been relegated      the union.
to secondary status without                Further, the constitution of         David Bogopa is a researcher
recognising the contributions made      Safpu is missing from the website       base at the Nelson Mandela
by women in both politics and           and this makes it difficult for         Metropolitan University in Port
economic activities.                    one to understand how various           Elizabeth.

                                                                                                    August/September 2015   11
Numsa and skills
                  development policies
IN THE UNION

                       The irony of the discussions and debates on neo-liberal skills policies is that the prevailing
                       policies of the state, criticised as being neoliberal, were actually conceptualised and won
                       within a radical socialist trade union – that of the National Union of Metalworkers of
                       South Africa (Numsa), writes Siphelo Ngcwangu.

                 B
                         efore its expulsion, Numsa        Restructuring would be based on            Numsa expanded the work
                         has been the leading union        more skilled work and higher value      of the RDGs on education and
                         amongst the Congress of South     added as the workforce became           training to include a component
                  African Trade Unions (Cosatu)            more skilled. The shift away from       of international consultation. By
                  affiliates which has championed          narrow job demarcation would            the early 1990s Numsa had already
                  the struggle for empowering              open the way for flexibility and        drawn international experts from
                  workers with mid-level skills            team-work based on multi-skilling’.     Australia, such as Chris Lloyd and
                  through artisanal training and           This approach gave rise to many         Alistair Machin, into the policy
                  Sector Education and Training            challenges including the fact that      making process to assist in spreading
                  Authority (Seta) aligned technical       so-called multi-skilling actually       ideas about skills, knowledge and
                  training. The labour movement was        became a strategy which capital         career paths within Numsa and
                  part of deliberations to envision a      used to implement retrenchments         the broader trade union movement
                  post-apartheid skills development        by claiming to ‘multi-skill’ workers    in South Africa. Policies such as
                  dispensation since the mid-1980s         when in fact the strategy was to        Outcomes Based Education (OBE)
                  and embarked on various projects         reduce the number of employed           and the National Qualifications
                  and programmes such as the               workers.                                Framework (NQF) which have
                  Industrial Strategy Project (ISP),                                               underpinned the skills training
                  Economic Trends Research Group           Numsa’s role                            policy of the present government
                  (ET) of Cosatu, Participatory            When I interviewed some current         were largely influenced by these
                  Research Programmes (PRP) and            and former Numsa leaders who were       processes of policy development.
                  Research and Development Groups          involved in training I found that          Radical alternatives such as those
                  (RDGs) which sought to articulate        there was also a concern that skills    that argued for comprehensive
                  a vision for industrial, economic as     based grading undermines worker         literacy and numeracy programmes
                  well as skills training policies in a    solidarity. Paul Kgobe also raises an   linked to Recognition of Prior
                  democratic South Africa.                 important question when he states       Learning (RPL) were defeated and
                    According to Karl Von Holdt the        that: ‘South Africa’s workplaces are    in their stead skills-based career
                  aim of Numsa’s multi-year bargaining     not constructed on the basis of a       pathing was prioritised to accentuate
                  strategy linking grading, training and   skills and knowledge hierarchy. They    the ostensible relationship between
                  wages was that ‘workers would have       are made up of a large, relatively      skills acquisition and productivity.
                  a clearer career path up the grading     homogenous group of workers with        Kgobe argued that: ‘The skills-
                  ladder based on acquiring new            roughly equivalent skills and a small   based grading system creates a
                  skills through training. Wage gaps       group of more skilled jobs. What        complex training regime at the
                  and levels would be narrowed and         sense does a skills-based career path   top while leaving the base largely
                  determined by the workers’ skills.       have in this context?’                  underdeveloped and confused. This

           12   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
IN THE UNION
Numsa marches against corruption.

Following these policies the former trade union intellectuals moved from being
policy thinkers to policy actors within the state thereby playing a crucial role in the
implementation of policies generally viewed as neoliberal in orientation.

is one of the criticisms that has been   government during the mid-1990s.       comprehensively responding to
levelled at the Australian training      Once these intellectuals entered the   technological changes. Numsa has
system. You end up with complex,         state they combined with technical     been focused more on its
paper castles in the sky and very        experts within the state system        representational role within
little actually happening on the         and consultants to consolidate the     bureaucratic structures such as Setas
ground’.                                 implementation of neoliberal skills    rather than reviewing the theoretical
   Following these policies the          policies.                              and ideological basis on which its
former trade union intellectuals           Skills and technology are integral   input into the skills development
moved from being policy thinkers         to the neo-liberal offensive which     debate is premised.
to policy actors within the state        results in workplace restructuring
thereby playing a crucial role in        and ultimately retrenchments.          Siphelo Ngcwangu is a researcher
the implementation of policies           Mondli Hlatshwayo shows that           at the Centre for Researching
generally viewed as neoliberal in        Numsa has been weak in developing      Education and Labour at the
orientation. An internal vacuum of       proactive responses to technological   University of the Witwatersrand.
knowledge about skills and other         changes at the workplace and that      This article was first published in
policies within Numsa was created        the focus has been more on             the Post-School Education Review,
when most of the leaders went into       bargaining and wages rather than       Issue 1, July 2014.

                                                                                                     August/September 2015   13
About EPC
IN THE COMMUNITY

                      Transforming education in SA
                      The Education Policy Consortium (EPC) is a group of progressive research organisations
                      with a history of collective policy development, analysis and research as well as public policy
                      dialogue in the area of education and training.

                     E
                           PC consists of the Centre           have worked with government over           range of research internships as
                           for Integrated Post-School          an extended period of time.                well as more formal masters and
                           Education and Training                The purpose of the EPC’s                 doctoral fellowships).
                      (CIPSET) of the Nelson Mandela           research programme in the               • Deepened understanding
                      Metropolitan University (NMMU),          post-school sector is to inform,           of the post-school sector
                      the Centre for Education Rights          further build and support the              through research
                      and Transformation (CERT) of the         national capacity for critical             Through a wide range of
                      University of Johannesburg (UJ),         research, engagement and public            research projects that focus on
                      the Nelson Mandela Institute for         participation in the processes that        public post-school institutions,
                      Education and Rural Development          are necessary to inform policy and         to better understand the
                      (NMI) of the University of Fort          provide possible alternative policy        post-school sector from the
                      Hare, the Centre for Researching         approaches and implementation              perspective of inter alia youth,
                      Education and Labour (REAL) of the       strategies for the reconfiguration         adults and communities, the
                      University of the Witwatersrand, and     of the post-schooling sector, as           working class and the poor, and
                      the Independent Centre for Policy        well as to support the Department          to be able to posit alternative
                      Development (CEPD).                      of Higher Education and Training           conceptual, theoretical,
                         The current members of the            (DHET) in building a more                  methodological, policy and
                      EPC have been reconstituted since        integrated, coherent and articulated       implementation approaches for
                      their early origins as the Education     post-school education and training         post-schooling, its sub-sectors
                      Policy Units established in the late     system to serve South African              and cross-cutting issues such
                      1980s/early 1990s. That history          society.                                   as articulation and integration
                      is very important insofar as it                                                     through good quality research.
                      points to established professional       Objectives                              • Research dissemination
                      relationships within a group of          The EPC programme has three                To create a community of
                      progressive research organisations       broad objectives:                          practice through this programme
                      with a history of collective policy      • Capacity development                    that includes collaborative
                      development, analysis and research          To contribute to expanding and          research processes and sharing
                      as well as public policy dialogue in        enhancing the research capacity         of knowledge and research
                      the area of education and training.         to undertake critical, progressive      findings through a diversity of
                      The capacity of the consortium              research into the post-schooling        publications and regular fora that
                      includes its ability to complement          sector by including university-         will encourage debate within
                      each other’s work across a range of         based researchers, to support           and between the post-school
                      specialisations, a growing network          the establishment of the CIPSET,        research and development
                      of organisations and associates at a        to increase the EPC’s capacity          community, post-schooling
                      number of universities, expanding           to sustain critical research into       practitioners, post-school
                      local and international networks in         the post-school sector over the         institutions and statutory bodies,
                      related areas of specialisation, and a      long-term, and to increase the          policy-makers, and a wider range
                      core of established researchers who         pool of researchers (through a          of community stakeholders.

               14   SA Labour Bulletin Vol 39 Number 4
The development of an                     policy, critique the focuses and          with the political economy of
‘alternative’ discourse framing the          choices implied in education              democracy, development and
                                             and training policy and the               the ‘national question’. Hence

                                                                                                                                     IN THE COMMUNITY
post-school education and training
sector – the focus of this research          assumptions which inform                  a broader canvass of analytical
programme – is informed by sound             these and the activities and              categories, derived from state
and rigorous multidisciplinary               actions of government in                  and society impacted upon by
research and policy analysis,                relation to such choices                  global political, economic and
through a critical examination of            together with their effects and           ideological systems – and not
the implications for education and           impact.                                   limited to educational or labour
training of the present economic        (b)	Complementary disciplinary                market issues alone – produces
and employment framework and                 approaches: The EPC                       a deeper, fuller, more textured
approach, and will attempt to                will bring a wider range of               and qualitatively thoughtful
provide alternatives based on                disciplinary perspectives than            view of the issues affecting
a deep analysis, imagining and               is usual in the examination               education.
modelling of the political economy           of education and training            (d)	Transcending consultancy
of South Africa.                             policy and practice. In effect            approaches: The EPC’s
                                             this means that it will strive            approach will transcend the
progressive approach to                      to examine the relationship               limitations of consultancy
research                                     between the political and                 research reports by probing
The EPC’s approach to research               economic assumptions                      more deeply into the issues
will be characterised by several             underlying policy and its                 concerning policy intervention
attributes which define and                  socio-cultural effects so that a          and its relationship to social
conceptualise what may be                    deeper understanding of policy            action. Consultancy work is
regarded as politically progressive          and practice is obtained. In              often driven by the demands
research. Such an approach to                this way the EPC’s approach               of immediacy, is not given
research is predicated on the                will strive to integrate the              to detailed analysis of the
idea that social policy and its              perspectives of social scientists         theoretical assumptions
implementation should support                from a range of disciplines in            on which it is based, or a
the progressive outcomes referred            addressing socially relevant              clear theorisation of the
to in the national Constitution of           questions relating to education           research issues. It is often
South Africa and seek especially to          and training. We understand               empirically weak, superficial
transform its education and training         too that social policy research,          and perfunctory and does not
system by dealing decisively with            while it draws on basic research          proceed beyond document
the legacies of apartheid and                and its theoretical foundations,          analysis. It does not provide
strengthening the foundations for a          is essentially about statecraft,          comparative analysis nor does
democratic state and society. Below          the prescripts of state, (and             it evince knowledge of the
we explain the elements of such              other policy-making bodies) the           literature on the subject. In
an approach to provide concrete              activities of a government in             addition client-driven research
insights into the content of such            areas within its jurisdiction and,        is invariably strongly influenced
an approach and to distinguish it            as we would argue, about the              by the ideological and practical
from the dominant approaches now             nature of power relations and             agendas of the agency which
existing in much research about              their effects on the ideological          funds such research.
social policy both in South Africa           and conceptual proclivities of       (e)	Complementary research
and globally.                                policy and decision-makers.               methods: The EPC’s orientation
                                        (c)	Relational approach –                     to scholarship through research
Key elements of the approach                 education, politics and                   also raises important questions
(a)	Issues of national                      socio-economics: In                       about the relationship between
     importance: Issues of national          countries that are categorised            research and its methodologies
     importance to the education             as ‘developing countries’ in              because of the dangers of
     and training system can be              particular, education policy              ‘objectifying’ communities
     examined by probing the role            research should be approached             through ‘objective’ research.
     of institutions in supporting           by reference to the relationship          For instance, policy analysts
     the policy outcomes, examine            between education and other               have come to increasingly
     and analyse the contextual,             social issues more generally –            understand the value of
     definitional, and vision related        the analytical framework must             ethnographic approaches to
     goals of education and training         in some senses be synonymous              research, to satisfy the criteria

                                                                                                        August/September 2015   15
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