MAAPE, THABISO2011-04-192011-04-192011-04-19http://hdl.handle.net/10539/9530MM - P&DMUnionism of the military, arguably a new phenomenon to this profession was introduced in South Africa about a decade ago. Although several militaries had already been unionised this was an unprecedented move and unchartered waters to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Several studies have explained the advantages and disadvantages of this phenomena, however few if any has sought to explore the effectiveness of such a platform in improving labour relations for soldiers. This study aims to bridge this gap by investigating the effectiveness of military trade unions in the SANDF since their inception. The main finding of the study is that military trade unions have had minimal impact in influencing labour relations in the SANDF since their legalisation in 1999. The study also found out that while military trade unions are perceived as ineffective, they are still nonetheless perceived as a better mechanism of advancing labour relations issues in the SANDF compared to conventional military processes, provided military trade unions are able to improve certain aspects of how they function and that management perceives them as legitimate representatives of soldiersenTrade unionsMilitary trade unionsSouth African National Defence ForceThesis