South African Journal of Labour Relations - Volume 35, Issue 1, January 2011

This is the first edition of the SAJLR for 2011, and I would like to thank our Editorial Committee, Professors Erasmus, Booysen, Anstey and Horwitz, the respected academics and practitioners in the field who serve on our Reviewers' Panel and all our authors who contributed to this edition for their vision and insightful contributions.

This article examines trends in the South African collective bargaining system over the past two to three decades and compares them with trends in certain other - mainly European - countries. The issues the article focuses on are the trends in centralisation and decentralisation of collective bargaining, coverage of collective bargaining and trade union densities, representivity of bargaining councils and whether the centralisation of bargaining in South Africa has ensured adequate flexibility within the broader context of the South African economy and employment.

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The findings are that coverage of the bargaining council system in South Africa has expanded, that trade union density has increased and collective bargaining has become more centralised. However, flexibility in the centralised system has decreased to the point where it is harmful to employment. This stands in marked contrast to the position in European and other countries, where collective bargaining has generally become more decentralised, coverage has remained stable or gone down, trade union densities have declined and the whole employment relationship has become more flexible.

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The opposing trends in South Africa are explained as being due to the rise of a powerful Black trade union movement that has made a big impact on the collective bargaining system.

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between perceived career mobility (measured by a perceived career mobility scale), career mobility preference (measured by a career mobility preference scale), job satisfaction (measured by the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire), and organisational commitment (measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale). Research on the perceived career mobility, career mobility preference, job satisfaction and organisational commitment of financial professionals is considered important in the light of organisational concerns about retaining staff in the South African financial sector. A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample (N = 82) of auditors, accountants and financial staff in the South African financial sector. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed significant relationships between the variables of concern to this study. The results point to the importance of recognising how perceived mobility opportunities and preferences influence individuals' job satisfaction and commitment in the design of talent retention strategies for professional staff members. This study is the starting point for measuring perceived career mobility and career mobility preference in the South African context.

The influence of the age of female academics on their work experience in South African universities has not been researched to date. Yet, much publicity has been given to the "leaking pipeline" syndrome, referring term which refers to the loss of female academics before they attain one of the higher positions, such as senior lecturer, associate professor or professor. This trend is alarming as universities strive to achieve employment equity on all hierarchical levels. As the link between being an older academic and being higher up in the academic ranks cannot be denied, it is becoming important to find ways of retaining older female academics. The study reported here was conducted from a positive psychological paradigm. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of age on female academics' experience of burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence. The results confirmed a positive relationship between age and work engagement, as well as sense of coherence. No relationship between age and burnout was found, implying that women are expected to experience higher levels of work engagement and sense of coherence. Recommendations are offered for management on how female academics could be retained and supported towards reaching the higher ranks of academia.

The increasing changes in and demands made on higher education institutions in the 21st century have had a considerable impact on the roles and responsibilities of heads of department (HODs), and have led to increasing emphasis on the development of core HOD management competencies. The aim of this study was to identify the management competencies deemed necessary for HODs to function effectively within the higher education context. A systematic review of the management literature was conducted. A qualitative data analysis revealed forty managerial competencies that could be clustered under 18 higher-order dimensions. A survey revealed that HODs deemed leadership, financial management and project management to be the most important higher-order dimensions required to function effectively within their roles. The information obtained in this study could potentially serve as a foundation for the development of an HOD training programme in the South African higher education environment.