South African Journal of Labour Relations

Editorial policy

Editorial mission

It is the purpose of the journal to promote and facilitate the understanding and development of theories and practices concerned with people in relation to employment in its broadest sense, by providing a forum for constructive debate, discussion, analysis, reporting and commentary.

Scope of the journal

Apart from articles of an academic nature, which are research based, the journal will publish commentaries, analyses, overviews, case studies, survey results and reports on aspects related to employment relations (in the broadest sense) in South and southern Africa. Articles on any relevant international issues as they relate to current ideas, theory building and developments in practice will also be considered. While interested authors from any country are invited to submit their work for possible publication, Africa-related themes are especially encouraged in the context of the dire need to develop indigenous theory and understanding of people management in the African context.

“Employment relations” is a term which is broadly considered to include the following: work, employment and unemployment; labour and trade unionism; organisational behaviour, change and development; education, training and management development; labour law; collective bargaining, direct and indirect forms of worker participation and industrial democracy at all levels from the shop floor to the national level of tripartism; labour economics and labour market developments; forms of industrial conflict; organisational and cross-cultural communication; national labour policy trends and developments; human resource management topics, including, but not limited to, equal opportunities, affirmative action, discrimination, diversified and multicultural workforces, human resource planning, job and work design, recruitment and selection, organisation entry, performance management, career and succession management, health, safety and employee well-being, motivation, leadership, remuneration and reward management; broader environmental trends as they relate to employment; and international comparative employment relations and themes related to people management strategies and practices in general.

The journal will therefore be of interest to practitioners, researchers, academics, trainers and educators as well as to policy makers in the private, public and semi-public sectors of South Africa and other countries.

Nature of contributions

The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts by policymakers, practitioners, academics and researchers. Contributions for the Academic section (accredited) are especially welcome. The criteria for acceptance are based on the soundness of the research base and/or the academic rigour of the arguments provided. Contributions for the Forum section (non-accredited) could include comments and/or reports on interesting and relevant developments and/or case studies with significant practical value but without the necessary theoretical or academic underpinning.

As far as possible, manuscripts should display a fine balance between well-attested facts and well-informed opinion and argument and a writing style which is intelligible to specialists and non-specialists. It is essential for authors to clearly indicate the implications of their research for managers and employment relations practitioners.

Last modified: Mon Aug 07 18:02:03 SAST 2023