Employment Relations Exchange (“ERX”) is a specialist advisory house focussing on Employment Relations and Stakeholder Engagement from a conflict resolution, negotiation as well as a general and restructuring governance & compliance perspective. Under the leadership of Nerine Kahn, who is well respected in labour relations circles, ERX is strategically positioned to provide high-impact services to a broad stakeholder base, with lasting results. ERX is in partnership with IQ Capital and Business Rescue Exchange (BRX) to provide the best possible client outcome with an integrated service bouquet which includes business turnaround and business rescue support and advisory services. These service requirements are often closely related and require labour relations support. Nearly 20 years on from the halcyon days of a new era in South Africa, and the entrenching of world class labour rights, we have almost come full circle on the benefits of these laws. The laws were set to ensure “industrial peace”, which was the initial impact and intention – peaceful and regulated strikes. After the first ten years, a sharp increase in violence during protest was observed, beginning to erode the entrenched peaceful values. Today’s environment following the events at Marikana (and even preceding these events) sees intensified violence during strikes. This has rolled into direct links with community workplaces and hence a significant link between wage demands (and consequent strikes) and community protest.