HISTORY  / MISSION AND GOALS  / MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD / ACTIVITES IN THE REGION / THE LABOUR AND ENTERPRISE PROJECT

>> HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTE 

The original component of the Institute started as the Labour Law Unit, set up in 1987 with a grant from the Ford Foundation. Its brief then was to assist emerging democratic forces, in particular the labour movement and other NGO’s, with capacity-building and applied research in the area of labour rights and labour market reform. In particular, the Unit contributed to the struggle for labour rights through training (mainly of trade union paralegals), applied research and involvement in litigation on behalf of trade unions.

In 1992, when transition to democracy was clearly underway, a Development Law Unit was established as a Human Sciences Research Council project. Its focus was on development law issues such as land, housing, small and medium enterprise, and other socio-economic issues. In 1996 the two Units merged to form the Institute of Development and Labour Law. Since then the Institute has worked to consolidate research, training and education projects in both these areas of work: in labour law and labour rights, and in the area of development law.

In later years the Institute, as a result of the need to re-stimulate academic debate on labour issues and labour market regulation, has taken a leading role in setting up a fora for such debate.

>> MISSION AND GOALS OF THE INSTITUTE

The Institute is a policy research, training and extension services centre situated in the Faculty of Law of the University of Cape Town. Its broad mission is to assist with capacity building to enhance democratic governance through applied policy research, training, and extension services in South Africa and other parts of the SADC region. It focuses on development, labour law and social policy issues. As part of this mission, it provides educational and advisory services, produces and disseminates publications, convenes conferences, seminars and workshops. It also fosters links and networks, thus providing a reference point for policy and scholarship.  Its work is driven by public interest and human rights considerations. It adopts a ‘law-in-context’ approach, which reflects the interdisciplinary nature of its work. 

Although the Institute is a constituent part of the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Town, it operates autonomously with its own advisory board which convenes at least once annually. However it is ultimately accountable to the Faculty’s Research and Social Responsiveness Committee.

>> MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD ARE:

Prof HM Corder (Chair); Prof ER Kalula (Director); Ms R le Roux (Deputy Director);Prof S Burman; Prof Judge D Davis; Prof JE Hare;

Mr D Horner; Prof JGB Maree; Mr L Mbabane;Ms S Myrdal; Ms T Orleyn-Sekete; Dr M Sienaert; Mr J Theron; Mr R van Voore and

Prof D Visser 

Copies of the latest Annual Report (2004) can be obtained on request from Mrs Sue Wright, Tel: +27 21 650 5634; Fax: +27 21 65- 5660 – or email swright@law.uct.ac.za

>> ACTIVITES IN THE REGION

In 1992, the Labour Law Unit’s work was extended to most of what is now the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Apart from trade union capacity-building work, the scope of its work was expanded to include intervention in social policy issues, in particular to help develop social partnership (of government agencies, trade unions and employer interests) in the formulation of social policy. Since then the Institute has been involved in tripartite training and labour law reform to promote democratic governance in the context of regional integration. 

Since the two units merged, and particularly in the last few years, the Institute has become more involved in regional activities.  We have strengthened our relationship with SADC countries and structures, especially with the then SADC’s Employment and Labour Sector (ELS), through research and educational activities in the region. Funding received from the National Research Foundation (NRF) contributed to our research activities on regional labour market regulation, harmonisation of labour laws and social security policy. In addition, the establishment of a regional postgraduate diploma course in conciliation and arbitration has strengthened our education and training activities in Southern Africa. These projects and other work have allowed us to develop stronger links with other universities, research centres, NGOs, and unions in the region. We plan to continue this work in 2005 strengthening both our regional focus and activities.

>> THE LABOUR AND ENTERPRISE PROJECT (LEP)

The Labour and Enterprise Project (LEP) is essentially a continuation of a project to undertake research concerning labour rights in small enterprises based in the Institute of Development and Labour Law. However in line with the socio-legal nature of its research LEP has since 1999 been constituted as a joint project of the Sociology Department in the Humanities Faculty and the Institute. 

LEP employs only one full-time researcher (Shane Godfrey) and one half-time researcher (Jan Theron), and the major portion of its budgeted expenditure is on salaries. However other academic staff and post-graduate students are members. Currently these are Professor Johan Maree and Dr. David Lincoln in the Sociology Department and Debbie Collier in the Commercial Law Department.