Professional background and experience:

Alta Reynolds’s qualifications include labour relations (MComm) as well as in other disciplines such as metaphysical science (M MSc), ethnopsychology and therapeutic horse riding. Her experience in dispute resolution commenced in 1996 as a commissioner with the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). In 2019 she was accredited with the CCMA as a bargaining council panellist, as well as with Conflict Dynamics and CEDR as a mediator. Alta’s expertise is in mediation and conciliation, although she has conducted many arbitrations. She has also been involved in international peace promotion initiatives. Prior to joining the CCMA at the time of its inception, Alta had 27 years of experience in human resources and as secretary of an Industrial Council, during which she established a sound foundation in corporate (both local and multinational) dynamics, social responsibility programmes, conditions of employment, benefit schemes and remunerations systems and collective bargaining issues.

Alta is also qualified as a wildlife field guide, and she has been active in animal welfare non-profit organisations and has managed an agricultural empowerment project in the mohair industry in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture. This provided her with considerable insight into the agricultural, tourism and nature conservation sectors.

Mediation experience and style:

Alta was trained in labour dispute mediation, conciliation and facilitation skills by the CCMA in 1996 as a full time and then part commissioner and conducted many such processes, including telephonic and remote conciliations, for the CCMA, bargaining councils and Tokiso.  Her statutory conciliation dispute settlement rate with the CCMA was above average. Alta’s conciliation and mediation style is of a facilitative nature, whereby she gains the trust of the parties and listens carefully to their submissions in order to establish their underlying needs and concerns so that common ground can be established upon which the parties can develop a mutually acceptable solution to their issues in dispute. Her exposure to and first-hand knowledge of diverse industries and sectors had provided her with an understanding of the operations and challenges of clients in agriculture, insurance, charities, construction and engineering, education, mining, energy and natural resources, environmental agencies, healthcare and pharmaceutical, fast moving consumer goods, transportation and the public sector in general.

Facilitation experience and style:

Alta has conducted several statutory facilitations under the auspices of the CCMA in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995. Her style in conducting facilitations is to gain in depth background familiarity and understanding of the operations of the parties and the issues that they are facing.  In so doing she gains the trust and confidence of the parties in her ability to thereafter establish the most effective process and with their consent to support and guide them towards a mutually acceptable solution to the challenges before them.

Chairing enquiries and investigations experience:

Alta’s experience in conciliating, mediating, facilitating and arbitrating labour disputes with the CCMA and at bargaining councils has stood her in good stead to chair disciplinary enquiries for organisations such as SARS and Sanparks. She is familiar with the requirements of natural justice and fairness in these processes.

Coaching experience and style:

Alta was appointed as an approved mentor with the South African Board for Personnel Practice (SABPP) in 1992 and in the past mentored and assessed aspiring practitioners in the human resources disciplines. Whilst with the CCMA she assisted with the training of case management staff in KwaZulu-Natal at the time of the establishment of the CCMA in that province and was appointed to mentor and assess candidate commissioners at the George office of the CCMA in the Western Cape. She also assisted with the training of paralegals and staff from community-based advice offices in labour legislation and dispute resolution. Her extensive past career in human resource management and training has helped her to develop an empathetic and understanding approach towards those whom she has mentored and coached.