adminDavies Ndumiso Sibanda
One subject that is generally taboo in labour relations classes is coverage of cultural challenges that organisations that do business in rural areas face.
One of the leading newspapers recently carried a story about mining challenges that are caused by a spirit that needs to be appeased. A few weeks ago I was at a mine where workers talked of an annual ritual that is due and as a result workers were afraid of going underground.
John a mine worker told me some years ago that it is taboo to cook meals for someone who has gone underground. Food should only be cooked after the miners have surfaced.
When we were in Kariba, one old man told us many workers died during the construction of the dam because the river “god” was not respected at the time of the construction of the dam. He said all accidents that have occurred in the lake are caused by the angry river “god”.
Some miners in one mine objected to having women go underground to work with men before some traditional ritual to announce their presence to the ancestors has been made.
In one factory when dedicated delivery trucks were to be shared, drivers objected arguing that the vehicles “have their things” and some cleansing will have to be done otherwise they would injure some people. The workers committee was actively involved in the issue.
Interestingly, some managers with company issued vehicles agreed with workers saying once a vehicle has been issued it has to be “fortified.”
At one farm, workers were forced not to work on a particular day by people living in neighbouring villages as the day was considered sacred and it is taboo to work on that day. One time a friend who is a farmer visited his farm and found all the workers having joined the local community to hunt for certain birds’ nests which are believed to block rain from falling.
Of late, the cultural issues have become complex demanding that organisations find smart methods of dealing with them. In the mining sector, many mines have thrown the responsibility on the human resources function and others have created community relations officers who not only deal with cultural challenges but also other community interests in the mine.
All these challenges have no answer in any textbook because they have been dealt with differently by both employers and workers. The issue is not whether one believes in them or not but the answer lies in recognising that they can disrupt work and upset labour relations.
Most organisations have accepted that cultural issues are a cost that can escalate if not properly managed and at times can lead to closure of the business or collective job action by employees.
The answer lies in engaging the cultural leaders and finding a lasting solution.
A challenge with most solutions is that identifying the correct community leaders is problematic and where the organisation has to make a payment problems tend to mount with some viewing cultural issues as threats to the organisation as a source of revenue.
In conclusion, cultural issues cannot be overlooked. They need to be dealt with with the appropriate confidentiality and maturity in a manner that is capable of satisfying cultural interests of the community and workers but in a cost effective manner. Settled organisations have developed policies to deal with such matters. This helps avoid offending some while trying to handle a cultural issue that could negatively affect labour relations.
*Davies Ndumiso Sibanda can be contacted on email: [email protected] or cell 0772 375 235
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