3rd February 2025
Dear All,
Re: WORKSHOP ON NEEDS BASED AND PRODUCTIVITY COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
27 – 28TH FEBRUARY 2025, LAKE SAFARI LODGE, SIAVONGA
The Zambia Federation of Employers will be running the above-named workshop from 27th – 28th February 2025 at Lake Safari Lodge in Siavonga.
The key objective is to equip participants with knowledge on realizing the mutual benefits to both the employer and employees by engaging the concept of Productivity and needs based collective bargaining approaches.
In this regard therefore, the Federation wishes to invite your organisation to nominate a participant/participants from your bargaining team to participate in this important workshop. The Federation wishes to encourage management to consider nominating shop stewards /Branch Union Officials to this workshop in order for management to create capacity on negotiations in union officials following the productivity and needs based approaches in Collective Bargaining Sessions.
For confirmation, kindly fill in the attached form and send it back to us or submit your Local Purchase Order. For further details contact Mildred W. K. Mukuma on 0211 295969 or 0950 655 898, 0770 375 354 /0977 825 112 or email: zfe.training@aol.com or zfemployers@gmail.com
Attached herewith, is the information note and an application form which should be filled in and returned to the Secretariat by or before Tuesday 25th February 2025.
Yours faithfully,
ZAMBIA FEDERATION OF EMPLOYERS
Harrington Chibanda
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(An Affiliate to International Organisation of Employers and a Partner to the International Labour Organisation)
INFORMATION NOTE: WORKSHOP ON PRODUCTIVITY NEEDS BASED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, 27TH – 28TH FEBRUARY 2025, LAKE SAFARI LODGE, SIAVONGA
BACKGROUND
Once a formal relationship has been established between a Trade Union and Management in a particular undertaking, what follows thereafter are mostly interactions between the two parties. One very important area of interaction is Collective Bargaining. Most companies and their unions usually engage these negotiations for either salaries or general conditions of employment which are also referred as mandatory issues but in certain cases, the bargaining team does not understand their role in this process and end up spending time on the bargaining table discussing unrelated issues.
Collective bargaining is the carrying on of negotiations by a bargaining unit for a purpose of concluding a collective agreement. It is a complex process in which both the union and management negotiators maneuver to win the most advantageous contracts. As in any complex process a variety of issues come into play. However, give and take should be encouraged on both sides.
Generally, any issue that changes the nature of the job itself or compensation for work must be discussed in collective bargaining. Mandatory issues therefore include subcontracting work, plant closings, changes of operations and other actions management might take that will have an impact on employees’ jobs. They are the critical factors in the bargaining process that may affect management’s ability to run the company efficiently or crash with the union’s desire to protect jobs and workers standing in their jobs.
Historically, collective bargaining has addressed equity issues from the point of view of employees – issues such as a fair wage, working conditions and the equal distribution of wage increases to all. Until recently, considerations of efficiency important to productivity were either not addressed, or were accorded relatively little importance. Increasingly employers wish to utilize the collective bargaining process to effect workplace changes in the interests of competitiveness.
Hence the view of employers that the process should address not only how the gains of improved performance should be shared, but also how to increase the productivity ‘cake’, This is seen to be the only way in which regular pay increases can be absorbed without eroding profitability and jeopardizing competitiveness.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN CONDUCTING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
The subject of Collective Bargaining has for some time now been associated with “demand” and “counter offer” after which negotiating parties commence negotiations. This approach has been found to have some limitations as it does not permit parties to yield maximum benefits from the negotiation efforts and above all does not afford any opportunity to both parties before negotiations to fully discuss and understand the other party’s needs, interest, concern, fears, worries and expectations.
Productivity Based Collective Bargaining is a system which establishes a closer link between wages and productivity. The system ensures that wage increases commensurate with higher productivity, thus enhancing competiveness of the firm. It also enables employers to develop a wider and systematic approach towards improving productivity and wages through the active involvement of all employees.
Through critical observation and their experience over many years of practice in facilitating negotiations between unions and management, mediating disputes and training, John Brand and Felicity Steadman have come up with a new approach to Collective Bargaining called “ NEEDS BASED” approach. This approach is totally different from the Positioned Based Collective Bargaining process of offer and counter offer.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, participants should be able to:
- Differentiate between Needs Based Collective Bargaining (NBCB) and Positioned Based Collective Bargaining (PBCB)
- Apply the concepts of both Productivity Based Collective Bargaining (PBCB) and Needs Based Collective Bargaining (NBCB) in their organisations.
- Understand the prerequisites of the NBCB System and also the PBCB System
- A thorough understanding of modern mutual gains negotiation theory and practice
- Rich comprehensive basic principles and rules, practical knowledge and skills in the negotiation and collective bargaining process.
- Understand the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and thus, develop strategies of management of labour and industrial conflicts at the workplace.
- Learn the relevance, establishment and administration of recognition and collective agreements
- Understand Actual process of Collective Bargaining applying the modern methods
- Learn the relevance, establishment and administration of recognition and collective agreements
CONTENT FOR DISCUSSION:
The Legal Frameworks on Collective Bargaining (Negotiations)
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Establishment of Recognition and Collective agreement
- Role of union and management representatives in Administration of Recognition Agreements and Collective Bargaining Agreements
- Dispute Resolution
- Non-negotiable employee rights under the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019
- Aligning ECA No 3 of 2019 to a Collective Agreement – ILO Convention 1949 ( No. 98)
Productivity Management and Improvement
- Measuring productivity
- Productivity planning, scheduling and control
- Quality and inventory control
- Factors affecting productivity
- Collective Bargaining Vs Gain Sharing
Productivity Based Collective Bargaining
- An analysis of the current system of wage determination
- Rationale
- A case for wage flexibility
- Key Elements and Models
- Prerequisites of an effective PBCB system
- Benefits
Needs Based Approach to Collective Bargaining and Mutual Gain. (the Actual Process)
- Social dialogue
- Identify obstacles to effective negotiation
- How conflicts develop into disputes
- Conflict management using the constructive approach
- Explaining the negotiation process
- Distinguish Position Based from Needs Based Collective Bargaining
- Moving to mutual approach to negotiation
- Costs and benefits of position and needs based
- Reframing position statements into needs based statements
TARGET GROUP:
Frontline Supervisors and team leaders, operations and line managers, Human Resources Managers Chief Executive Officers or anyone who is involved in negotiation as Union Officials.
WORKSHOP METHODOLOGY:
A fully participatory action oriented approach will be drawing as far as possible on the practical experience of the participants.
DATES: 27 – 28th February 2025 VENUE: Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga
PARTICIPATION COST:
Option I:
K 8,500.00 per participant – ZFE members and K9,700 per participant – non-ZFE members (Will cover: accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, Training Materials and a Certificate of Attendance)
Option II:
K4,700.00 for members and K5,700.00 for non- ZFE members (will cover: lunch, health breaks, Training Materials and a Certificate of Attendance only)
Checking in will be on Wednesday 26th February 2025 and checking out on Saturday 29th February 2025 (those under Option I)
(The Central Organisation of Employers in Zambia established by an act of Parliament)
WORKSHOP NEEDS AND PRODUCITIVIYT BASED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING,
27 – 28TH FEBRUARY 2025, LAKE SAFARI LODGE, SIAVONGA
WORKSHOP APPLICATION FORM
Company Name………………………………………………………………………………………
Postal Address &Town……………………… ………………………………………………………..
Phone Number:………………………… Cell No………………………………………..
Organisational Email Address:……………………………………………………………………..
NOMINEE’ S DETAILS (PLEASE FILL IN USING BLOCK CAPITALS)
| NAME | ||
| JOB TITLE | ||
| Email Address | ||
| Cell/Tel No. | ||
| FEES: ZFE MEMBERS | FEES : NON- ZFE MEMBERS | |
| Option I: K8,500.00 per participant (Will cover: accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner workshop materials & a certificate of participation) Option II: K4,700.00 per participant (Will cover:- Lunch, workshop materials & a certificate of participation) | Option I: K9,700.00 per participant (Will cover- accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner workshop materials and a certificate of participation) Option II: 5,900.00 Per participant (will cover:- lunch, workshop materials & a certificate of participation for each participant) | |
| Our Banking Details: Account Name: Zambia Federation of Employers Account No:9130001827565 Bank: Stanbic Bank Zambia Limited Branch: Lusaka Main Address: P.O. Box 31955, Woodgate House, Cairo Road, Lusaka Swift Code: SBICZMLXA Branch Code: 04-00-02 Iban No: Not Applicable | ||
Signature: _________________________________Date: _______________________
FILL IN THIS FORM AND RETURN WITH PAYMENT OR LPO BEFORE OR BY TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2025 TO:
The Human Resource & Training Department
Zambia Federation of Employers,
Plot 6662, Mberere Road, Olympia extension, Lusaka
0211 295969, Mobile: 0770 375 354/ 0950 655 898,0977825112 E-mail: zfe.training@aol.com or zfemployers@gmail.com