The Impact of the Remuneration Act, 1979 - 1982

Abstract

This article outlines the history of the Remuneration Act and Regulations, 1979-80, and explores their immediate economic, industrial relations, political and constitutional implications. It is argued that the Government introduced the Act to facilitate its manipulation of the economic, political and industrial relations systems. Instead, because of their nature and the way they were applied, the Act and Regulations challenged many of the principles on which these systems are based. This provoked reactions which ensured that the Act not only failed to achieve the Government's goals, but proved to be counterproductive.