Avinash Ramphul

I am a Human Resource Management graduate with other qualifications in Business Management and Health and Safety Management. I am an experienced professional in Industrial Relations having led several business restructuring efforts including S189 processes, union negotiations and relationship management. I am well versed in disciplinary processes, CCMA representation and collective agreement compliance.

I believe in sustainability by building and developing workplace relationships on trust to become mutually beneficial. I firmly believe that every employee is an investment to their employer and as such, a constructive approach to discipline is critical to the success of the employer as it enables rehabilitation and development of the employee and retention of skills in the workplace. With this being the cornerstone of my approach to Industrial Relations, I was able to successfully navigate extremely intense situations in the employment relationship and achieving outcomes that were beneficial to all concerned.

I wish to share my knowledge with industry at large and change the Industrial Relations landscape in South Africa so that it is no longer perceived as a destructive tool in the employment relationship.

12 years experience in industrial relations having performed several S189 processes for companies in Business Rescue and for general restructuring needs. I am able to apply the principles of change management to guide industrial relations needs which enables much more effective method of communication and acceptance. I have chaired more than 100 disciplinary hearings and have attended at the CCMA more than 50 times to represent the employer which required arbitration preparation and evidence packs along with witness readiness.

I am able to prepare detailed and precise disciplinary hearing outcomes containing all relevant information ensuring compliance to Schedule 8 of the Labour Relations Act. I have assisted employers with compliance to Bargaining Council collective agreements which included guidance on interpretation of clauses, using the collective agreement as an aid in policy development and submitting successful exemption applications to council on clauses which employers were not able to satisfy enabling those businesses to stay afloat in turbulent economic conditions. I have managed several strikes which included strike avoidance efforts, negotiations during the course of strikes and applying the law to unprotected strikes.

I have held good relations with the unions I've worked with by earning trust through transparency and presenting solutions that reflect the interests of all stakeholders.

14 years experience in health and safety compliance and management bulk material handling operations in a port environment, construction sites specifically Bulk Earthworks operations, surface mining operations and workshop safety. Preparation and attendance at safety audits, creation and maintenance of safety files, staff training, policy development, risk assessments and advisor to top management and line managers.

I am a self-motivated professional that is geared toward helping businesses to create stability and using that as a platform to enable sustained growth. I pride myself on professional courtesy, articulating my ideas and approach that is simple to understand to any stakeholder and listening attentively to the problem in order to arrive at the right solution the first time.

I hold a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management obtained from UNISA. During the course of my degree studies I majored in Labour Relations Management and Strategic Management and have excelled in these subjects academically. I also hold a national diploma in Business Management (DUT) and another in Safety Management (UNISA) along with a certification in training registered with the ETDP SETA.