Senior Specialist: Employee Relations - Transnet Port Terminals

Position Purpose

Develop, deliver and maintain a business-focused employee relations strategy that meets the needs of all Transnet Port Terminals’ stakeholder groups and ensures that the Employee Relations team achieve their objectives and business & work plans.

Responsible for creating a fair, respectful, diverse and high-performance culture in Transnet Port Terminals, enabling employees to contribute their best through sound employee relations policies, procedures and practices across the company.

Position Outputs

• Contribute to the strategic development of the People Management function by developing a progressive, business-focused employee relations strategy that meets the current and future needs of the organisation.
• Ensure Transnet Port Terminals People Management (PM) policies and processes are current, conform to employment legislation and where applicable are coherent with other Transnet Limited Operating divisions’ practices. Responsible for reviewing and updating policies.
• Identify and implement positive employee relations programmes or interventions in consultation with relevant stakeholders that will lead to a more efficient and motivated workforce.
• Contribute to the continued improvement of the health of the organisation by monitoring performance indicators, such as levels of grievances, disciplines, disputes and sickness absenteeism and developing initiatives and solutions in collaboration with other People Management specialists to enable positive trends.
• Lead negotiations and consultation with the recognised labour organisations on behalf of Transnet Port Terminals to achieve positive outcomes and broad agreements to proposals which meet the business goals. Develop and implement negotiating mechanisms with labour organisations which support the annual review of wages and benefits together with any organisational & structural changes.

• Lead on the employee relations aspects of proposed changes to the organisational structure, grading, rewards, redeployment, redundancy, and employment contracts which are needed to support the delivery of Transnet Port Terminals’ business objectives.
• Provide responsive and high-quality support, training and advice to all parts of the business including Executive Management to ensure the appropriate management of all employee relations issues including in particular change management, grievances, poor management, disciplinary action and management of union engagement.
• Serve as a principal point of liaison with external legal advisors/ private arbitrators, Transnet Bargaining Council and CCMA about company Labour Relations issues to ensure proper briefing and management of external parties regarding the company’s business and its employment practices.
• Compile and manage the operating budget for the department to ensure compliance to departmental targets and achieve cost containment.
• Manage subordinates by allocating work, assessing progress, coaching, training and motivating to ensure productive utilisation of staff and instil performance culture within the department.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial / Employee Relations, Labour Law or related field.
• Post Graduate Qualification in the related field will be an advantage.
• 10-12 years of Employee Relations experience (in-house, Labour Court, CCMA, etc.) of which 5 years is spent at a level of senior manager position in Employee Relations.

Standard Job Requirements

• Driver’s license code 8
• Travel as and when required by the business

Competencies

Knowledge Required:

• In-depth experience in Labour Law, Contract Law & Employee Relations.
• Understanding of Port business or Transport Industry.
• CCMA and Collective Bargaining Council processes
• Internal & global best practice in Labour law
• Socio, Economical & Political principles
• NEDLAC principles
• BCEA & LRA.
• Project Management
• Strategy, business plan & operational practices
• Human Capital Management and its processes