Getting the workers’ committee to add value

WHAT the organisation spends in training the workers’ committee determines the quality of workers committee the organisation will have and has a huge impact on labour relations and productivity.

In many organisations, the workers’ committee is seen as a nuisance and enemy number one because many in managerial positions were not trained in people management and meet the “animal” called the workers’ committee for the first time at the workplace.

Employers need to appreciate that employees have rights and an interest in the success of the business.

However, if workers’ rights are not managed properly, organisational success will be compromised.

The starting point is not training the workers’ committee but to train all in managerial and supervisory positions in labour relations and more specifically in how to get value from workers through the workers’ committee.

In one of my articles, I wrote about the first meeting between every supervisor and the worker representative in the department.

This is a watershed meeting which sets the tone of labour relations in a department or section as new workers’ committee members come in or supervisor and manager after appointment.

The core business of the workers’ committee among others includes, representing employees interests before the employer, providing a platform for presentation and discussion of employee grievances, ensuring good labour relations prevail, promotion of productivity and ensuring a disciplined productive workforce is in place at all times.

Further, the workers’ committee has a duty to ensure prompt settlement of disputes, educate workers on workplace rules and regulations, negotiate for improved working conditions and implement agreements reached between management and workers.

Where the workers’ committee is properly trained, the visible major functions include, advising workers on workplace matters, improving quality of life, managing opinion leaders, educating and training workers, restraining the strong and protecting the weak, balancing divergent interests, resolving conflicts, representing workers, team building, interpretation of labour laws for workers and above all productivity improvement.

The above functions of the workers’ committee clearly shows that workers’ committee members have to be trained in order to add value.

In conclusion, for the workers committee to add value, employers need to invest in their training after establishing their real training needs.

Davies Ndumiso Sibanda can be contacted on: Email: [email protected]