We have recently appointed Union Learning Reps in our business and I wonder if anyone has some answers to the following questions:
1. What do they do for your business?
2. How do you manage the process?
3. How successful have they been in your organisation?
4. After the ULR union training course have you given them further development? What was it? Why?
Any answers to these questions would be great!
Spencer Harris
2 Responses
Union Reps
Yes
1. They enhance a feeling of partnership without any prejudice to the respective roles of management and union reps.
2. They build a TRANSFERABLE skill base from union to work and from work to union
3.We extended the TU education with two things
1.Representative fact finding and empowered working parties to develop,research and implement policies and procedures on performance assessment scheme,no smoking policy,HIV and AIDS,customer call centre protocols and a revised equality and diversity policy
2.Cameo roles for union and management on our training courses dealing with human resources issues notably equal opps
We also bought in a good external training organisation to facilitate the links and bridges for all the foregoing,and our subsequent joint training courses
There are downsides of course if you have the wrong culture or people. The key thing is to remember boundaries and roles for both parties
It can all be managed to mutual advantage
Good luck.
Jennifer
A NZ Model “Partnership for Quality”
Hi – an organisation that I worked in recently is in the midst of a very successful implementation of just this kind of project.
The Public Sector Association (the union for public servants in NZ) has established a national qualification and it is delivered in partnership with govt. agencies.
I am sure they would be happy to share ideas with you.
Contact: rob.fox@ird.govt.nz