Cut out the middleman: Reimagining the significance and role of organised labour in the South African public sector
Tando Rulashe
Abstract
The role of organised labour in South Africa’s public sector is undergoing renewed scrutiny amid persistent service delivery failures, institutional reform delays, and concerns about administrative performance. Traditional approaches to union engagement, particularly the practice of simply “bringing the union in”, are increasingly being questioned in relation to their continued relevance in a modern and responsive public service. Drawing on Critical Theory, Institutional Theory and Conflict Theory, this study examines how power relations, institutional routines, competing interests and entrenched administrative norms shape union activism and public sector performance. Critical Theory assists in examining unequal power relations and the extent to which organised labour challenges or reproduces them. Institutional Theory explains how formal rules, informal conventions and path-dependent practices sustain bureaucratic inertia. Conflict Theory adds a useful lens for understanding organised labour as a contested space shaped by struggles over authority, representation, bargaining power and institutional influence. The study adopted a mixed-methods design within a pragmatic paradigm and targeted 500 public servants from selected provincial government departments, municipalities and public entities in the Eastern Cape. An achieved sample of 348 participants (69.6%) was obtained and used for analysis. Emerging findings point to concerns about political influence, leadership interests, union fragmentation and the extent to which labour disputes may hinder effective service delivery. Organised labour’s symbolic and historical relevance does not automatically translate into an effective contribution to public sector reform, accountability and institutional performance. The study therefore offers evidence-based recommendations for recalibrating union-state relations in ways that strengthen responsiveness, legitimacy, accountability and service delivery.
Keywords
governance, labour unions, public sector efficiency, public sector reform, service delivery
Author information & Contribution
Tando Rulashe. Senior Lecturer & Programme Leader: Public Administration, School of Development Studies, Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, University of Mpumalanga. Email: tando.rulashe@ump.ac.za
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
AI Declaration
The author used language, grammar, referencing and editorial support tools, including QuillBot, Grammarly, Microsoft Word Editor and similarity-checking tools, where necessary. These tools were used only to improve clarity, grammar, readability, referencing accuracy and manuscript presentation. Where AI-assisted tools were used, their role was limited to editorial, language and structural refinement. The author reviewed and approved the final manuscript and takes full responsibility for its content, accuracy, originality and integrity
Notes
This paper is presented in the 7th ICMIAR 2026.
Acknowledgement
The author gratefully acknowledges all participants who contributed to this study. Special appreciation is extended to current and former public servants from the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, municipalities and public entities who generously shared their experiences, reflections and perspectives on organised labour in the public sector. Their participation provided the empirical foundation for this article and made it possible to reflect critically on the changing role of organised labour in public administration and governance.
The author also acknowledges the broader academic and professional communities whose scholarship, debates and public sector experiences continue to shape critical reflection on labour relations, public sector reform and service delivery in South Africa.
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Cite this article:
Rulashe, T. (2026). Cut out the middleman: Reimagining the significance and role of organised labour in the South African public sector. Industry and Academic Research Review, 4(1), 20-53. https://doi.org/10.53378/iarr.231
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