M.Phil. / Prior to the political transformation process, the labour relation's environment in the automotive industry, and in particular Nissan S.A. (the research organisation), was conflicting and disruptive. This resulted in an unstable working environment that affected future business performance and market opportunities. During this period, Nissan S.A. also became part of the global 'village' that requires, amongst others, stable labour relations and a co-operative approach towards union and management matters. This was critical for business survival and future investment from global partners. In order to achieve the above, a union I management development programme was put in place in conjunction with several role-players, that included the contribution of union representatives. The programme largely dealt with the understanding of different management and union roles and functions within the workplace. It furthermore equipped union and management representatives with critical skills and competencies, necessary to deal with conflicting issues that affected performance. The programme outcome was positive and it created the foundation for the organisation to remain competitive. The disruptive and conflicting labour relation's environment stabilised and better working relationships between management and the union followed. Since the implementation of the programme, new challenges emerged. Locally, political ownership changed 'hands'. Many union representatives were taken up into political leadership positions that affected union and representative capacities in terms of resources and competencies. Newly elected union representatives (and union members) questioned the role and function of unions, especially considering the fact that political 'victories' were no longer required at shopfloor level. Global competitiveness (and locally) affected employment security. The business, through operational requirements, dramatically reduced the workforce that affected relationships with the union and members. Globalisation required different operations, skills and 'thinking'. These changes justify a critical evaluation of the new role and function of union representatives to better cope with modern business challenges. This is critical for future survival and growth as uncertainties could affect the stability of the organisation. An understanding of changes and the empowerment of union representatives to deal with changes and challenges have proven to be successful for the organisation in the past. This study has also proven that parties need to understand and work towards a 'common interest' realisation. As a result, the following was appraised: • To explore and describe how union representatives perceive their role and function within a changing business environment. • To describe guidelines as a framework for the empowerment of the role and function of union representatives. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was followed. The data was gathered by means of two focus group interviews, which included the selection and participation of permanent union representatives. The raw data was analysed using the descriptive method of open coding. Two independent coders analysed the data with the researcher. A literature control study was done to recontextualise data. Based on the results of the research, guidelines were formulated. The results of the study indicate that union representatives recognise 'the changing world of work' and that modern business challenges require different thinking and operating methods. These changes and challenges affect the traditional role and functions of union representatives. As a result, it necessitates the performance of different roles and functions, in addition to the traditional ones. The research results indicate the need for change to a more participative management style that would be a requirement for the intervention and development of a comprehensive programme that would empower union representatives to better cope with modern business challenges. The research confirms the common realisation thinking. The research results further indicate that the empowerment of union representatives is a requirement to be effective in dealing with modern business challenges. A further need is the necessity for organisational culture change and change management.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:2070 |
| Date | 27 February 2012 |
| Creators | Geyer, Hoffman |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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