Abstract
The study aimed to explore the perceptions of management and shop stewards on the effectiveness of trade unions in the era of the fourth industrial revolution and globalisation (measured by the perceived need for training, including management support for trade union representatives’ training and support for identified skills to remain effective and efficient in the municipalities). A qualitative inductive approach to research was adopted through semi-structured interviews to obtain and produce relevant information from the participants. The objective was to do a comparative study of two municipalities to develop a conclusive agreement on the effectiveness of trade unions. Non-probability judgemental sampling was used to identify two (2) municipalities to participate in this study. A total of 11 participants were drawn from the respective municipalities within the Johannesburg area based on the limited information obtained from the participants. This study, therefore, contributed to the existing literature in the field of employment relations and trade unions in general. It also added to the literature on training within the municipalities; this is particularly significant as most studies on trade unions’ role in South Africa have focused on the management and employee perspective. A gap exists in trade union representatives' training among the municipalities. On a practical level, the findings of this study indicated that training is important because it enhances the union’s commitment towards instilling positive attitudes towards effectiveness as opposed to the perception that 4IR exists as a means to take away jobs and as a threat to job security to reduce costs within the municipalities further. These findings have important implications for municipalities, characterised by militancy, not being profit-driven and keeping abreast of current trends.
Keywords: Trade unions, 4IR, union representatives, union members, managers