Labour, management collaboration growing
More than one-half (52.1 per cent) of organizations do not think Canadian unionized workers have the upper hand in bargaining, according to a survey conducted by Canadian HR Reporter (CHRR).
Less than one-third (27.3 per cent) of the respondents believe organizations have the upper hand and 20.7 per cent are unsure, found the survey of 339 CHRR readers and members of the Human Resources Professionals Association.
“The only power they have is to strike and if that’s taken away from them, it really doesn’t matter when it comes to negotiation power,” said Kashif Raza, HR business partner at 140-employee Voysus Group in Toronto.
Recent labour relations issues, such as back-to-work legislation at Air Canada and Canada Post, may have affected opinions about unions.
Nearly two-thirds (62.4 per cent) of respondents think there is a growing trend for management and labour to work together on solutions. Many organizations are starting to view unions as more of a business partner as opposed to an adversary, said Joanne Muriella, HR and labour relations manager at 1,100-employee Fearmans Pork in Burlington, Ont.
“If I, as the HR manager, go up to someone and ask, ‘What do you think about this?’ I can guarantee the answer I would get would be a lot different than what the local (union) guy would get,” she said. “Employees may feel more comfortable sharing ideas or opinions with their union rep and the union will share that with the company in confidence.”
