Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate how employees in the small enterprise sector can be protected, as well as how compliance with labour law – particularly with the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) – can be promoted.
The study adopted a three-phased sequential mixed methods approach. In Phase 1, 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with affiliated trade union officials of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Limpopo province. The collected data were analysed using a thematic approach.
During Phase 2, in which a quantitative approach was used, data from 365 owners and managers of small enterprises in the Limpopo province were selected in accordance with convenience sampling. Basic analyses such as means analysis, standard deviation and principal component analysis, were performed.
In Phase 3, a qualitative approach was again used to validate the experiences of small business owners and trade union officials. A purposive sample was drawn of eight subject-matter experts in the small enterprise and labour relations fields, as well as policy makers in South African government departments. The data were analysed my means of content analyses of the interview responses.
The results of the study suggest that small enterprise owners are not knowledgeable about labour laws, hence they are unable to comply with the law. A further finding was that the labour laws are cumbersome to small enterprises and, therefore different requirements should perhaps be applicable to this sector. Based on the results, guidelines are proposed which legislators could use to assist the government of South Africa in modifying, if necessary, the requirements of the LRA and the BCEA as they apply to the small enterprise sector.
Ph.D. (Employee Relations)