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Human Resources

Industrial Relations and Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining is where the employment relationship is either stabilised for a period or broken, and organisations that treat it as an annual argument about a percentage tend to get exactly that. This course covers the wider discipline. Delegates work through the legal framework governing organisational rights, recognition and bargaining, the bargaining unit and the levels at which negotiation happens, and preparation including the mandate, the costing and the concession plan. Negotiation at the table is practised. Deadlock, conciliation and the lawful strike and lockout procedures are covered in full. The course closes on agreement drafting and implementation, and on the relationship between rounds, which is where most of the work actually is.

3 day course

Course objectives

  • Apply the legal framework on organisational rights and recognition
  • Define a bargaining unit and choose the level of negotiation
  • Prepare a mandate, cost proposals and plan concessions
  • Negotiate effectively at the table
  • Handle deadlock and conciliation correctly
  • Manage a lawful strike or lockout and its aftermath
  • Draft, implement and live with a collective agreement

Who should attend

  • Industrial and employee relations practitioners
  • Human resources managers and business partners
  • Line managers in unionised environments
  • Union officials and shop stewards
  • Executives who set the bargaining mandate

Course outline

  1. 01An annual argument against a managed relationship
  2. 02Legal framework, organisational rights and recognition
  3. 03Bargaining units and levels
  4. 04Preparation, mandate and costing
  5. 05Negotiation at the table
  6. 06Deadlock and conciliation
  7. 07Lawful strikes, lockouts and their aftermath
  8. 08Agreement drafting, implementation and between rounds

Scheduled sessions

Scheduled sessions for Industrial Relations and Collective Bargaining
DatesVenueFormatPriceRegister
23 to 25 December 2026Durban, South AfricaClassroomR14,950 per delegate
27 to 29 January 2027OnlineOnlineR6,500 per delegate
22 to 24 February 2027Harare, ZimbabweClassroomUSD 995 per delegate
8 to 10 March 2027Pretoria, South AfricaClassroomR14,950 per delegate

Industrial Relations and Collective Bargaining

From R6,500

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