The Ghana Federation of Labour has called for strong strategic partnerships between organized labour and employers to create an environment for enhanced productivity.
That, the federation believes, would help strengthen the relationship between labour and management, and enable both parties to work together within the confines of the labour laws.
Speaking on the first day of a two-day training workshop organized by the Ghana Federation of Labour on the theme, “Building strategic workplace partnership: a means to job security & protection of income,” Kenneth Koomson, Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, noted that the present economic challenges and labour force dynamics at the workplace require a more collaborative approach that would assist both parties to work together.
Mr. Koomson although it takes effort to build such strategic partnerships at the place of work, positive sustainable results are achieved when workers and management are committed to the process.
During his remarks, the lead facilitator for the training workshop, Austin Gamey, advised employees to take a keen interest in the business sustainability of their employers to ensure growth and productivity.
According to the renowned labour expert, exhibiting such a positive interest in the daily operation of the business is also expected to enhance sound Labour Management Cooperation.
Mr. Gamey, who is the CEO of Gamey and Gamey Group, said maintaining a sound Labour Management relationship through the sharing of relevant information and keeping the line of communication open as prescribed by the country’s Labour Act 2003, Act 651 automatically provides the platform where both workers and employers can build a lasting strategic partnership.
Explaining the need for Human Resource managers to lead the collaborative efforts in achieving a cordial strategic partnership at the workplace, Mr. Gamey noted that it is incumbent on HR managers to act in fairness and transparency to workers, union leaders, and management while keeping the channel of communication open.
“Human Resource managers should desist from supporting management in its decision that goes contrary to the country’s Labour law since the old traditional way of power base relations does not promote healthy relationships at the workplace,” he stressed.
Participants were also taken through the Gently, Honest, Open, Specific and Talk (GHOST) and Beliefs, Expectations, Assumptions, Concerns, and Hopes (BEACH) protocols that inspire workers and management to continually engage and work together as a team to achieve organizational harmony.
In his remarks, the HR Director for Wilmar Africa Limited, Solomon Ohene Owusu, revealed that management recognizes the importance of knowledge acquisition hence the workshop to offer practical and hands-on training to key staff members, including union leaders and HR officers, on the labour laws.
He said a similar programme would be rolled out for the entire management team at Wilmar to enable both labour and management to understand the need to forge and maintain strong strategic collaboration and partnerships at the workplace.
