MERGERS CAN BE A HUMAN RESOURCES NIGHTMARE
May 2010

When businesses are sold or merge an area that is often neglected is the process of engaging with employees and the proper consideration of their interests.

Proper engagement with staff will facilitate a transfer whereas ignoring the human aspect is likely to lead to difficulties during and after the transferring transaction.

However the labour law around business transfers is notoriously tricky, because it is not always clear if the relevant legislation applies and what should happen when it does.

Help is at hand in the form of a one day workshop titled "Mergers and acquisitions: understanding the applicable labour law and facilitating the transition", which takes place in Cape Town on Thursday June 3.

The workshop is targeted at Human Resources directors, managers and staff as well as company law advisors and managers who get called on to deal with employment law issues.

Presented by Barney Jordaan and Craig Bosch of Maserumule Consulting, the workshop will address how employers and their advisers can run a business transfer from an employee relations perspective.

Jordaan holds a doctorate in law from Stellenbosch University and he is extra-ordinary professor at the university's Graduate School of Business where he teaches on the MBA and management development programmes.

He also conducts the programme on negotiations on the MBA and executive education programmes at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.

Bosch is a senior lecturer in labour law at the University of the Western Cape, a part-time senior commissioner at the CCMA and serves as a member of the several dispute resolution panels.

The workshop is presented by the Professional Development Project of the Faculty of Law in partnership with the Institute of Labour Law and Development at the University of Cape Town.

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