Over 45 union leaders and management members of Songor Electrochem Ghana Limited, a salt, and chlorine–alkali manufacturing company, have undergone training on sound Strategic Labour-Management Cooperation (LMC) with the aim of enhancing the productivity of the company.
The day’s training workshop facilitated by the Gamey and Gamey Group was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the workers’ union and management for organizational harmony and productivity.
Addressing participants, the lead facilitator and CEO of Gamey and Gamey Group, Austin Gamey, stressed the need for effective cooperation between management and union, saying that challenges facing organisations are easily addressed through productive cooperation.
“The greatest tool any organisation can have is a sound labour-management cooperation,” he said, adding that such cooperation, which depends on high-level trust and good faith, just be nurtured jointly by both management and the union.
According to him, organisations can nurture LMC by relying on Section 77 of the Labour Act 2002, 651, which stipulates the sharing of relevant information among stakeholders in the organisation to aid decision-making.
“Information is critical, so sharing it with relevant stakeholders is key to every business,” he said.
He encourages the HR Department of organisations to take the lead in disseminating relevant information so as to set an example for other departmental heads to follow.
Using the PULSE Frame, Mr. Gamey further reiterated the need for management and union leaders to desist from entertaining perception, which often leads to organisational disputes.
He believes that adopting the new dynamic strategic labor-management cooperation that promotes the migration from the old status quo to a new practice would greatly enhance workplace relationships and productivity.
The renowned labour expert then urged union leaders and management to be agents of change by adopting the three-dimensional management approach, which includes Management of Transition, Management of Novelty, and Management of Confidentiality.
In a remark, the Deputy General Secretary for the Ghana Mineworkers Union, Jerry Kwabena Andoh, assured management of the union’s commitment to ensuring that Electrochem salt project would continue to grow to derive the desired benefits for the management, workers, and the community.
He urged union leaders to use the knowledge gained from the training to improve their relationship with management as they work together to achieve a common objective of producing Africa’s premium salt.
In her remarks, Evelyn Oye Asante, Director of People Culture at McDan Group, expressed appreciation to the union leaders and their members for participating in the training.
“We are excited that we have been able to discuss things that are really of concern to management and the union. We have unlearned certain traits that are affecting our work and learned new things, a new way of doing things to cooperate with management as social partners to create a shared profit for all to enjoy,” she said.
