HUMAN LABOUR RELATIONS

THE HUMAN LABOUR RELATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS: CASE OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY -KAMPALA

1.0 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Labour management relations is a process through which employers and unions negotiate pay, hours of work, conditions of employment, sign a contract governing such conditions for specific period of time and share responsibilities for administering the resulting contract (Kathryn et al, 1998).
Labour relations is a broad field encompassing all the myriad interchanges between employers and employees. While labor relations is most often used to discuss this exchange as it pertains to unionized employees, it may also refer to non-union employees as well. Labour relations are dictated in a large part by the government of a nation and the various regulations it provides to industry regarding the treatment of employees.
In the United States, labor relations gained a huge boost with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935. This act covered a wide range of labor rights, including the right to strike, the right to bargain as a union, and a general right to protest and take action to achieve their desires. The National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act, gave most employees these rights. It was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1937.
The field of labor relations looks at the relationship between management and workers, particularly groups of workers represented by a labor union.
Labor relations can take place on many levels, such as the "shop-floor", the regional level, and the national level. The distribution of power amongst these levels can greatly shape the way an economy functions.
Another key question when considering systems of labor relations is their ability to adapt to change. This change can be technological such as "What do we do when an industry employing half the population becomes obsolete?", "How do we respond to globalization?", "How dependent is the system on a certain party or coalition holding power?".
Governments set the framework for labor relations through legislation and regulation. Typically employment law would cover issues such as minimum wages and wrongful dismissal.
In summary, the employer/employee relationship is ever changing in today's business world. Employers must be careful to determine who their employees are. If temporary employees are going to be used, it is incumbent on the employer, in most organizations, to abstain from controlling the temporary employees as much as possible. Otherwise, workers that the employer thought were independent contractors or employees of a temporary agency could become their own borrowed employees.
We are living through some very challenging and chaotic times for organizations as well as individuals. During times like these, organizations' needs for achieving competitiveness and individuals' needs for achieving a greater sense of career resiliency as well as balance, purpose and meaningfulness in their lives become increasingly important. It is a particularly appropriate time for reflecting on what people want and need most from their work, how organizations can impact people accordingly through their management and employment practices and, ultimately, impact organizational results and competitiveness.

1.2 BACKGROUND TO THE AREA OF STUDY
This study looks at Makerere University in line with its human labour relations and how these relations have affected its growth to the current status. The study looks at the Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and Gender (SWOT/G) Makerere University encounters as per its human labour relations management.
Established in 1922 as a humble technical school, Makerere University is one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in Africa. In the same year (January, 922), the school, was renamed Uganda Technical College. It opened its doors with 14-day students who began studying Carpentry, Building and Mechanics.
The College soon began offering various other courses in Medical Care, Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences and Teacher Training. It expanded over the years to become a Center for Higher Education in East Africa in 1935. In 1937, the College started developing into an institution of higher education, offering post-school certificate courses. In 1949, it became a University College affiliated to the University College of London. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees of the University of London.
With the establishment of the University of East Africa on 29th June 1963, the special relationship with the University of London came to a close and degrees of the University of East Africa were instituted. On July 1, 1970, Makerere became an independent national university of the Republic of Uganda, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses leading to its own awards.
Today Makerere University has twenty-four (24) faculties/institutes/schools offering not only day but also evening and external study programmes to a student body of well over 30,000 undergraduates and more than 4,000 postgraduates (both Ugandan and foreign). It is also a very active centre for research.
The university is located on Makerere hill, one of the many hills on which Kampala, the capital city of Uganda is built. The main campus is about 5km to the north of the city centre covering an area of 300 acres (two square kilometers).
The location offers an excellent academic environment, because the University is free from all forms of disturbances associated with city locations.
Makerere University is founded on over seven decades of continuous teaching, research and service. In the new millennium, Makerere University strives to recruit excellent staff, initiate cutting edge research and produce more and better-educated graduates, who are representative of society. In order to expand in the teaching, research and service areas, it recognizes the paramount importance of enhancing recent innovations in Information Technology in the areas of curriculum development, knowledge and management within the local, regional and global context of increased competition.
Makerere University continue to serve as a “think tank” to inform the policy makers and implementers as well as in the provision of first – class educational and other services.
The transformation that Makerere has gone through in the area of sustainable income generation especially fee-for-service expands now and then.

1.2.1 Makerere University Staffing
TABLE 1: Senior non-academic staff of administrative departments by job titles and number, February, 2004
Job Title Total
Vice Chancellor 1
Deputy Vice Chancellor 2
Principal 1
University Secretary, Academic Registrar, Bursar, Dean of Students, 4
Director of Planning (Professor equivalent) 5
Deputy Secretary/Registrar (Associate Professor equivalent) 18
Senior Assistant Secretary/Registrar (Senior Lecturer equivalent) 33
Assistant Registrar/Secretary (Lecturer equivalent) 44
Administrative Assistant (Teaching Assistant equivalent) 52
Total 162






TABLE 2: The academic staff at Makerere, February, 2004
Professors Associate Professors Senior Lecturers Lecturers Assistant Lecturers Total
49 62 242 481 200 1,034



TABLE 3: Support staff on senior terms of service, February,2004
Job Title Number
Chief Technician and equivalent 46
Principal Technician/Senior Personal Secretary and equivalent 39
Total 85





TABLE 4: Intermediate-level support employees, February, 2004
Job Title Number
Senior Technician, Personal Secretary, Senior Executive Officer and equivalent 64
Technician I, Stenographer, Secretary, Assistant Librarian, Higher Executive Officer, Domestic Bursar and equivalent 121
Technician II, Pool Stenographer, Principal Copy Typist, Executive Officer, Assistant Domestic Bursar and equivalent 178
Laboratory Assistant I, Senior Copy Typist, Chief Custodian, Senior Library Assistant, Senior Clerical Officer and equivalent 227
Laboratory Assistant II, Copy Typist, Custodian, Library Assistant, Clerical Officer and equivalent 434
Total 1,024
GRAND TOTAL 3,3O5

SOURCE: © 2005 Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
1.3 MAKERERE UNIVERSITY VISION, MISSION AND GOALS
1.3.1 THE VISION
To be a center of academic excellence, providing world-class teaching, research and service relevant to sustainable development needs.
1.3.2 THE MISSION STATEMENT
To provide quality teaching, carryout research and offer professional services to meet the changing needs of society by utilizing world wide and internally generated human resources, information and technology to enhance the university’s leading position in Uganda and beyond.
1.3.3 GOALS
(i) To expand student enrollment at a rate of 10% per annum from a student body of 22,000 in 1999/2000 and achieve under graduate to post graduate students ratio of 4:1 by 2004/5.
(ii) To improve on academic standards through continuous curriculum review and development of the semester system.
(iii) To continuously review curricular of University academic programs with a view to improving external efficiency.
(iv) To initiate equitable basic and applied research responsive to the emerging problems and opportunities in order to meet the changing needs of our constituents and stakeholders.
(v) To improve on the efficiency of Makerere University by developing Information Technology capacity in storage, retrieval and dissemination of information for management, teaching, research and learning.
(vi) To improve on the operational efficiency of the University by reducing on bureaucracy and further devolving powers to operational units.
(vii)To provide competitive terms and conditions of service particularly remuneration, promotion, retirement and other benefits in order to attract, and retain staff with a view to ensuring job satisfaction.
(viii) To promote the adaptation of international technological breakthroughs in the areas of medicine, biotechnology, natural resource management and the environment.
(ix) To enhance local income generation capacity through innovative and creative academic programs and other sources such as service for fee to the wider business community and alumni.
(x) To focus a substantial share of donor and budgetary resources to laboratory based faculties with a view to enhancing their teaching and income generation capacity.
(xi) To give priority to infrastructural maintenance, expansion and rationalization in order to meet education and academic targets.
(xii) To improve on students welfare in the areas of accommodation, counseling and other services.

1.4 TRADE UNION ASSOCIATIONS AT MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
There are three trade unions operating at Makerere University as mentioned below;
Ø Makerere University academic Staff Association (MUASA)
Ø Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (ASA)
Ø National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Makerere
MUASA takes care of academic staff needs and interests. Its main aim among others is to address academic staff grievances and promote their bargaining power with the university management and the Uganda government as far as their rights and benefits are concerned.

The recently created Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (ASA) takes care of the interests of the non-academic staff who are at the managerial level like the Deputy Registrars, Faculty Administrators, Personal Secretaries, Departmental heads and so on.
However MUASA and ASA are not yet affiliated to National Organization of Trade Union (NOTU) as required by the labour laws.

The National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Makerere Branch takes care of the support staff (popularly known as the group employees). This is affiliated to the National Organization of Trade Union (NOTU).
NOTU was established by Decree No. 29 of 1973 and is the only principal organization of employees (workers) in Uganda to which all registered trade unions must affiliate.
NOTU is the National Centre coordinating the Uganda labour movement and the activities of all registered trade unions affiliated to it.


1.4.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF NOTU
1. To promote and safeguard the interest of all registered trade unions affiliated to it and workers throughout Uganda.
2. To assist such Union to find practical solutions to problems organization and administration.
3. To settle disputes concerning representation and demarcations matters.
4. To determine the jurisdiction boundaries of Unions in line with the established policies and practices.
5. To encourage the development of strong, unified and viable Unions in Uganda and to discourage the development of revival unions.
6. To give legal advice and legal assistance to its affiliates.
7. Generally to promote the welfare of workers of Uganda
8. To promote social and economic benefits to its members.
9. To assist all its affiliates in establishing and maintaining sound industrial relations.
10. To operate and promote, aid and encourage the establishment of cooperatives and other economic institutions owned wholly or partly by workers, affiliated Unions or NOTU on their behalf.
11. To assist and improve workers' knowledge and skills by organizing courses and seminars, in collaboration with other interested bodies as shall be deemed necessary for the promotion of workers' interests.
12. To secure adequate presentation on government and industrial bodies dealing with the labour legislation or any other matters affecting labour.

1.4.2 SYSTEMATIC SWOT/G ANALYSIS FOR MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
A more comprehensive SWOT/G analysis reveals the following strengths, weaknesses, opportunities threats and Gender issues for Makerere University:
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
(a) Strengths
· Reputation
· Location
· Infrastructure
· Qualified Staff
· Good Management
· Alumni
· International Linkages

(b) Weaknesses
· Conservatism
· Poor terms of service
· Government interference
· Finance
· Bureaucracy
· Tall Organization Structure
· Compartmentalization of resources
· Inadequate and Poorly Maintained Infrastructure
· Sustainability of funding

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
(a) Opportunities
· Liberalization
· Donor Sympathy
· Growth in the Economy

(b) Threat
· Decentralization and Privatization effects on the educational sector
· Competition from private Universities and others higher institutions of learning
· Political Instability for example LRA war which negatively affects the University budget
. Disease (AIDS) whereby many people have been infected and affected by the disease.
· Donor Fatigue because of the conditions attached to their donations
· Globalization which takes all the universities worldwide to be at the same footing
. Information Communication Technology (ICT), which is making the world a global village

(c) Gender issues
The Makerere University Gender Mainstreaming Programme (GMP) is implemented by the Gender Mainstreaming Division, which is a unit within the Department of the Academic Registrar. The Division was established in 2002 with the aim of engendering the university function across the board.
Gender mainstreaming in Makerere University is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the University function so that women and men benefit equally, thus ensuring that inequality is not perpetuated.
The Makerere University Strategic Plan 2002/03-2006/7 identifies gender mainstreaming as a priority area alongside Information and Communication Technology (ICT), library services, research, science based disciplines, good governance and human rights.
Gender Specific Objectives
1. To promote a gender- friendly, inclusive and secure environment in the university for staff
2. . To advocate for increased recruitment, promotion and retention of female staff.
3. To make provision for the training of a critical mass of staff across all university units in gender analytical skills.
4. To advocate and promote increased participation of women in decision-making at all levels in Makerere University.
5. To ensure that university policy on women’s access to benefits, allowances and other entitlements is streamlined, regularized and wholly implemented.
6. To promote the use of gender sensitive language in all forms of communication at Makerere University.

1.5 HUMAN LABOUR RELATIONS AT MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
Caring About Employees' Concerns
During this study is clearly evident that many employees perceive their life experiences as increasingly frenetic and uncertain, and my recent experience with some of them shows that about more than half of Makerere University workers are not satisfied with their jobs. Many seek a stronger sense of inclusion, connection and control at work, and want to feel more valued and cared about by their managers. Individuals also expect greater flexibility to allow them to achieve desired levels of work/life balance and personal satisfaction. For example at the security department the human labour relations seemed hostile as the junior accused their seniors of not respecting them leading to poor working relations.

At Makerere University the employee needs and interests seem to be left mainly or solely to the Human Resource department to deal with, where as employees need to feel genuine, caring and concern from all leaders, especially from their immediate managers in addition to Human Resource. Once the above kind of feeling is lacking, employees seem to be quickly becoming dissatisfied hence it is assumed that this will affect productivity and making the results suffer. In some faculties I visited the lower cadres also accused their “bosses” of undermining them and this hostile to human labour relations.
However some faculties were found to be creating a positive labour relationship among all categories of workers whereby some faculties provided break tea and even some provided lunch.
It was also found out that during the sad times like losing a dear one, some departments contribute some condolences to the bereaved family and even participate in the burial arrangements. This seemed a strong point in labour relations at the workplaces.
In some department it was discovered that all the employees do get the top-up allowances. This kind of money is given to an employee on top of their salaries. This supplement allowance was found to create some respect to the management of such departments hence creating positive labour relations at workplaces. However where this allowance is not given, the staff expressed bitterness towards their leaders calling them all sorts of names indicating negative labour relations at work places.
The endeavours by the university to implement the issue of top-up allowances across the board are facing a stiff resistance from the money generating departments like the faculties and schools. These departments are hesitant to surrender some of their income to a common pool where even the service providers like the security and estate departments can benefit.

Fostering Individual Engagement and Retention
It is clear that fostering employee engagement is a critical competitive advantage in human labour management. The way this is done lies in recognizing and addressing both the commonality and the diversity of employees' needs and motivational factors. It is advisable to focus on addressing important needs common to the majority of employees, however, needs which may be important to smaller numbers of individuals should not be underestimated or overlooked, as they could also be likely to have significant impact on engagement and commitment levels.
Individualized approaches are also needed to address employees' varied career goals, work interests, and motivational factors that is what is most desirable, rewarding and meaningful to them about their work, and why. To make effective decisions about how to help each employee identify and achieve career goals and how to match work assignments to employees' individual interests and motivational factors, managers must get to know their employees well. This requires a considerable amount of time, as well as strong competencies in coaching and communication in order for interactions to be most effective in producing desired results.
My interaction with the leaders at Makerere University repeatedly identifies that the quality of communication and relationships between employees and their supervisors/managers, ranks low among the most influential factors affecting employees' engagement, relationship, commitment, and retention levels. This has forced some people to move outside the university to look for the green pastures. Makerere University on many occasions aimed at recruiting the best of the best candidates, retention of these resources has had countless challenges simply because the promotional chances at campus takes such a long time that the impatient employees find it difficult to wait.
It is alleged that some neighboring countries and universities have taken advantaged of such weaknesses to lure away some of the senior members of staff.
With proper human labour relations such kind of employee turnover is minimized to considerable and manageable rates.

Attracting and Leveraging Diverse Talent
To most effectively attract and meet the needs of increasingly diverse customers, organizations like Makerere University need to attract and leverage diverse talent for employment. Therefore, it is important to examine the needs and interests of prospective customers and employees your organization wants to attract, as they may require new and different approaches than the ones currently being pursued.
It is helpful to do some research to identify how your organization is perceived, what employees like and dislike about the company, why employees choose to resign, and what changes your company may need to make. For individuals who have left your company, find out what would have made them stay, and then do something to make it more likely that other employees will stay and that former employees might return to work for your company in the future.
It is also critical to recognize that individuals' decisions about which companies they want to work for are heavily influenced by what they hear about how other people are treated there. The more satisfied current and former employees and recent job applicants are regarding their interactions with your organization, the more likely they will be to provide positive rather than negative human labour relations.
At Makerere University this seems still a nightmare because whenever members of staff go away, they look at it as a chance of filling such a gap with some new employees. Yet the funds wasted in training such employees to fit into the organizational culture and environment is such an expensive venture.
However some department have realized this that is why many kinds of allowances have been introduced such as evening allowances, invigilation allowances, lunch allowances, imprest allowances, top-up allowances, responsibility allowances, Christmas/Easter/Idd packages, end of year bonuses and so forth. But the service-providing departments like estates remain at a disadvantage.

Evaluating and Selecting Talent
In human labour relations this is a very crucial factor. Experience during this study shows that the majority of bad hires and "unsuccessful employment relationships" result from faulty selection processes, and that employee turnover is extremely costly to organizations. Therefore, more effective employee selection is critical for achieving higher levels of employee performance and retention.
The criteria and methods any organization uses to evaluate and select candidates for hire or promotion should be focused on ensuring new hires "fit" with your organization's culture and work environment.
However at Makerere University, this seems to be fairing badly because it is said that most employees at Makerere University more especially on the side of non-academic staff have a tendency of leaving the institution immediately they achieve higher qualifications. This is mainly because the salaries at Makerere University are not determined by the employees qualifications but by the category or group in which you work. For example there are some administrative staff that possess PhDs but get the same salaries as first-degree holders.

1.6 WHY SHOULD ORGANIZATIONS EMPHASISE WORKPLACE LABOUR RELATIONS?
Several changes in recent years have been responsible for more attention being paid to employment relations within organizations. The first is the impact of globalization, which has significantly changed the ways in which organizations are managed and work performed. Organizations have resorted to a range of measures to increase efficiency and competitiveness, based not on low wages and natural resources, but on innovation, skills and productivity as ways of improving quality and reducing costs.
Employee skills have become important determinants not only of flexibility, productivity and quality, but also of employability and the ability to rapidly adapt to current changes.
Another development, which has shifted attention to workplace relations, is technology. On the one hand, technology management is possible only through people, and the way they are managed and trained affects the success of such transfer. Technology is also displacing traditional jobs and creating new jobs requiring different skills. Further information technology, the limits of which are not known in terms of its potential to effect change, is exerting a tremendous impact on the structure of organizations, the nature and location of work and the way it is organized. In societies of the future information and knowledge will be - as in fact they already are - crucial to competitiveness. Technology is already facilitating changes in organizational structures creating flatter organizations. This has resulted in management effected less by command and supervision, and more through emphasis on cooperation, information sharing and communication, and with a more participative approach to managing people. Modern technology now makes it possible for aspects of work to be performed outside the enterprise, for example from home, and even outside national borders.
A third factor is the changes occurring in workforces, to varying degrees in both private and public n organizations. The skills of an employee are, therefore, an issue on which the interests of employers and employees converge, and the "development" of the employee is now of greater mutual advantage to employers and employees. Hence the greater need than before for cooperative and participative forms of labour relations. Further, the many emerging work arrangements do not fit into the traditional employment relationships.
However the above kind of work arrangements do not effectively promote sound human labour relations and at Makerere University it was found out by this study that this has not had some overwhelming negative consequences.

1.7 BENEFITS OF GOOD PERSONAL LABOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Good supportive labour relations have a positive impact on employees' well being and health and can improve workplace performance. Often important interpersonal skills are learnt from labour relations outside the workplace. Couples that have been for relationship counseling may acquire skills that are transferable to the workplace, such as communication, conflict resolution, negotiation, role modelling, and positive reinforcement skills. Employers that promote family days, social activities and family-friendly work options are more likely to benefit from higher staff morale and retention rates.
However at Makerere University this seems to be still at a low tone and needs some attention especially from the leaders initiative at all levels.


1.8 WAYS HOW EMPLOYERS CAN IMPROVE HUMAN LABOUR RELATIONS
v Provide social facilities or a space for informal socializing and relaxation.
v Subsidise social club events, sport/wellness programmes or gym memberships.
v Establish social networks; establish support networks within or outside the workplace for workers of different cultures, or ethnic or minority groups. This may include helping set-up the networks, providing space and time to meet, give money for refreshments etc.
v Provide online networking systems to support specific groups such as women, minorities or gay and bisexual employees who wish to contact others within the organization. This could be a page on the intranet etc.
v Train all employees on sexual orientation, violence, bullying, harassment etc to help build a culture of understanding and tolerance.
v Establish cultural awareness training/groups/information sharing.
At Makerere University these leave a lot to be desired. This calls for concerted effort from all the stakeholders to make sure that the above points are given due attention in order to improve human labour relations at workplaces.

1.9 HOW TO DEVELOP A HEALTHY WORKPLACE CULTURE/RELATIONS
· Train managers in the importance of healthy personal relationships.
· Ensure managers are role models in maintaining healthy relationships.
· Acknowledge and celebrate non-work related events in employees' personal lives such as citizenship ceremonies, graduations, anniversaries etc.
· Limit long working hours; provide training on managing workloads in order to reduce the number of hours employees spend at work.
· Encourage productivity not "presenteeism".
· Provide flexible working options including part-time work, working from home, compressed working week and job sharing.
· Ensure all employees have adequate evening and weekend time off.
· Ensure all employees can make and receive personal phone calls during work time. Likewise limit calls to staff in their personal time at home.
· Large workplaces could assess the need to develop a programme to provide support in the workplace for employees who are experiencing domestic violence.

2.0 CONCLUSION
It is of paramount importance leaders/ managers of organizations like Makerere University to participate in maintaining respectful and harmonious relations and effective dialogue with the employees, trade unions and all stakeholders to ensure a healthy and productive workplace. This can be done through resolving workplace issues in a fair, credible and effective manner.
Also organizations like Makerere University should create a more flexible framework, with adequate protections, to manage and support employees and to attract the best people, when and where they are needed. This is a core undertaking in human labour relations management in any organization.
Managers and leaders in organizations should aim at fostering more collaborative human labour-management relations to ensure a healthy and productive workplace and provide employees at all levels with better-adapted and better-integrated learning and training opportunities.







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INTERNET SOURCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_relations
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/
http://www.eeotrust.org.nz/resource/toolkits/relationships.cfm
http://www.irmi.com/