Conference on Discipline Management in the Public Service

Date: 30 - 31 October 2006
Venue: Ingwenya Country Escape, JHB

Theme: "Towards effective discipline management for improved service delivery"

Background and purpose

The approved work plan for the Directorate: Labour Relations reflects that one of the outputs for the financial year is to host a conference on discipline. This stems from a need to place discipline in the spotlight so as to improve the management thereof and thus contribute to more effective service delivery.

Courses on the application of discipline are plentiful and departments, through the labour relations policy for the public service, are encouraged to ensure that employees are trained to effectively represent the employer in disciplinary hearings and to chair such hearings. The conference does not intend to duplicate these aspects of discipline but rather concentrated on broader and strategic issues pertaining to discipline in the public services such as -

• The legal environment within which discipline operates
• Case law trends that apply to discipline
• The role of labour relations officers in the management of discipline
• Challenges facing chairperson/representatives in discipline
• Anti-corruption initiatives and misconduct

It is envisaged that the conference will also serve as information sharing opportunity and a learning network. It will furthermore allow the representatives from the various departments to network, which will in turn contribute to cross-departmental assistance in disciplinary matters.

The proposed theme for the conference is "Towards more effective discipline management for improved service delivery".

PROGRAMME

Day 1

• Mr Boereseun Phophi, Office of the Premier: Limpopo
• Ms Mmathari Mashao, Office of the Public Service Commission
• Mr Simon Ndlovu, Office of the Premier: KZN
• Ms Leonore Neethling, South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI)