Discussions on research with numerous postgraduate students in the Department of Human Resource Management in the Faculty, as well as the Department of Mercantile Law in the Faculty of Law, also formed part of his visit.

Two master’s students of the Department of Human Resource Management are currently doing research on the different aspects of transnational labour relations. The title of Leani van Zyl’s mini dissertation is “A comparative study between the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the SADC Charter of Fundamental Social Rights”, while the title of Helena du Preez’s mini dissertation is “International Framework Agreements and Codes of Conduct for Multinational Companies”. Both found discussions with Prof Weiss to be highly informative, providing them with invaluable advice and guidance.

During a research discussion, Prof Weiss gave a very interesting talk on his personal experiences on the road to become one of the top researchers in the world and the intrinsic motivation that every researcher needs to become successful in his or her field. He also acted as key note speaker at a seminar on transnational labour relations in SADC, which took place in the auditorium of the Merensky Library on the Hatfield Campus of the University of Pretoria. The title of his address was “Towards transnational labour law and industrial relations; the EU experience”. The seminar was attended by Prof Cheryl de la Rey, Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria. She delivered a powerful message on the role and vision of the University of Pretoria in becoming a world class research intensive university and reaching out to Africa.

During the seminar, a research project undertaken by Dr Paul Smit of the Department of Human Resource Management, entitled “Transnational Labour Relations in SADC”, was introduced to a wider audience which included representatives from some SADC member states, the Department of Labour, the CCMA and other academics. Prof Weiss will act as Dr Paul Smit’s mentor for this research project, which will run until 2015.