The Impact of Labour Union Fragmentation on Service Delivery in The South African Public Sector
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of the increasing fragmentation of labor unions in South Africa’s public sector on the government's ability to deliver services effectively. Utilizing Conflict Theory and Agency Theory, the research adopts a qualitative methodology, relying on secondary data derived from government reports, union publications, and scholarly articles over the past decade. The analysis applies thematic content coding to identify patterns related to service disruptions, organizational inefficiencies, and declining public trust. The findings indicate that political fragmentation and union competition are key drivers of service disruption, complicating collective bargaining processes and undermining institutional cohesion. Public sector employees are often caught between competing union mandates, leading to low morale, demotivation, and a lack of unified institutional direction. These tensions strain the relationship between the state and organized labor, hindering efforts to enhance service delivery. The study contributes to existing literature by linking macro-level labor dynamics with micro-level service delivery consequences, a relatively underexplored area in public administration research. It advocates for more coordinated and depoliticized labor relations to restore institutional effectiveness and rebuild public trust.
Keywords: employee & employer relations; fragmentation; labour union; public administration; public sector strikes; service delivery.
Abstrak
Penelitian ini menginvestigasi dampak dari semakin terfragmentasinya serikat pekerja di sektor publik Afrika Selatan terhadap kemampuan pemerintah dalam memberikan layanan secara efektif. Menggunakan Teori Konflik dan Teori Agensi, penelitian ini mengadopsi pendekatan kualitatif dengan mengandalkan data sekunder yang berasal dari laporan pemerintah, publikasi serikat pekerja, dan artikel ilmiah selama satu dekade terakhir. Analisis ini menggunakan pengkodean konten tematik untuk mengidentifikasi pola yang berkaitan dengan gangguan layanan, ketidakefisienan organisasi, dan penurunan kepercayaan publik. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa fragmentasi politik dan persaingan antar serikat pekerja merupakan faktor utama penyebab gangguan layanan, yang mempersulit proses perundingan bersama dan merusak kohesi institusional. Pekerja sektor publik sering terjebak di antara mandat serikat pekerja yang bersaing, yang mengarah pada rendahnya moral, demotivasi, dan arah institusional yang terpecah. Ketegangan ini memperburuk hubungan antara negara dan buruh terorganisir, yang menghalangi upaya untuk meningkatkan pelayanan publik. Penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi terhadap literatur yang ada dengan menghubungkan dinamika buruh tingkat makro dengan konsekuensi tingkat mikro dalam penyampaian layanan, suatu area yang relatif belum banyak dieksplorasi dalam penelitian administrasi publik. Penelitian ini menyerukan perlunya hubungan kerja yang lebih terkoordinasi dan tidak politis untuk mengembalikan efektivitas institusional dan membangun kembali kepercayaan publik.
Kata kunci: hubungan karyawan & pemberi kerja; fragmentasi; serikat pekerja; administrasi publik; pemogokan sektor publik, penyampaian layanan.
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