23
th June 2025
Dear Member,
Re: WORKSHOP ON NEEDS AND PRODUCITIVITY BASED COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING 17 – 18TH JULY 2025, LAKE SAFARI LODGE, SIAVONGA
The Zambia Federation of Employers will be running the above-named workshop from
17
th – 18
th July 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.
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 655 897, 0770 375 354 / 0977 825 112 or email: zfe.training@aol.com or
zfemployers@gmail.com .
Attached herewith, is the information note giving more details on the subject matter and
an application form which should be filled in and returned to the Secretariat by or before
Tuesday 15
th July 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)
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INFORMATION NOTE: WORKSHOP ON PRODUCTIVITY NEEDS BASED
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, 17 – 18TH JULY 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 importance 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.
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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)
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
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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: 17 – 18 July 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 16
th July 2025 and checking out on Saturday 19
th July
2025 (those under