A Reflection on Public Policies, Labour and Industrial Relations’ Practices, Development or Underdevelopment in Africa’s Postcolonial States A Marxist Analysis for Emerging Democracies

Abstract

This paper revisits the character of public policies, to delineate labour and industrial relations’ practices to determine if the current character of L&IR in Africa’s postcolonial states promotes development or underdevelopment. It argues that, it is a policy shortfall with ominous political, economic and social malevolence to alienate L&IR’s practices, especially labour in goods/services. It asserts that, L&IR being the root of all human survival. Obviously, the formal practice of L&IR starts from policymaking to fashion labour, and ends in goods, services including consumption. Using Marxist analysis and the elite theory in policymaking, the paper reiterates that, the few people - elites, who claim wealth, knowledge and power in labour issues; use such power to impose their labour preferences upon society’s politics and economies; to alienate labour and industrial relations practices. Consequently, L&IR becomes a gratuitous beneficiary of underdevelopment policies, which gyrate to secure decisive positions in society for elites to perpetuate social strata that indecorously estrange the masses. Thus, Africa’s masses continue in sordid material conditions and economic factors, which dilute L&IR’s noble place in societies. The paper develops a basis that not only reveals the inseparability of labour/worker from goods and services, but also the weaknesses of labour economics and human resource management theories in capitalist societies.