The Labour Research Service (LRS), with support from the National Skills Fund (NSF), offers a learnership programme to strengthen the capabilities of worker leaders negotiating the current and future complexity of the economy.
The programme builds on an earlier LRS–NSF partnership that produced the Negotiator’s Guide and a set of online resources to support worker education. These resources form part of the learning programme, which addresses the most pressing challenges of the contemporary workplace, including the organisation of work, value chains, the future of work, the digital economy, discrimination, remuneration and gender equity.
Who can participate
The participants are worker leaders officially mandated by their unions. The beneficiaries are the 15-member unions of LRS, which represent over two million workers.
Learning focus
The Negotiator’s Guide themes form the learning programme:
Sub-themes:
- How to use LRS digital resources to support collective bargaining
- Applying international and national social justice instruments, such as the National Minimum Wage Act, ILO Convention 189 (domestic workers), ILO Convention 190 (violence and harassment), and ILO Convention 111 (discrimination in respect of employment and occupation).
Overall objective
The National Development Plan identifies focused leadership as essential for policy consistency across changes in government, business, and labour. This programme develops new and established trade union leaders with the capabilities to deliver such leadership.
Our theory of change is that informed, skilled negotiators achieve better labour market and industry development outcomes. The programme builds leadership capacity to address key current and future challenges in the South African economy and supports the implementation of Sector Master Plans.
Expected results
Participants are better equipped to deal with issues that affect the lives of workers in South Africa. The programme offers practical learning for trade union action.
Accessible digital resources for current and future trade union leaders. The programme communications strategy targets a broad audience of indirect beneficiaries.
A community of practice and knowledge base that continues beyond the NSF partnership cycle.
The learnership programme runs from October 2024 to 2026.
Table 1: LRS learnership programme | October and November 2024
