The main objective of this study was to investigate different forms of worker participation programmes and their implementation in selected countries including South Africa. Another objective was to study perceptions of managers and workers on forms of participation at two mining companies in South Africa, namely Vaal Reefs and Ergo Mines. The two mines were selected because they had dissimilar characteristics which would affect attitudes differently. Vaal Reefs Mine had a well established trade union movement whereas Ergo Mine was not very strongly unionised. The study focused on a comparison between the attitudes of managers and supervisors toward worker participation, at both mines. At Ergo Mine there was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of managers and supervisors on a large number of variables which was not the case at Vaal Reefs Mine. The results seem to indicate that at Vaal Reefs, supervisors tended to identify with workers on the shop-floor. Workers at Ergo Mine seemed to prefer direct forms of participation whereas the workers at Vaal Reefs Mine seemed to want to participate in management decision through trade union representation and other forms of indirect participation. The main conclusion was that the form of worker participation in a particular environment depends to a large extent, on historical and prevailing conditions.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1995.