Is it about modernizing or revolutionizing the role of Shop Stewards in the
workplace?
Many folks have undermined the role of a Shop Steward at the workplace as if
these ‘shop-floor’ leaders just woke up being bored and prouncenced themselves
as such. Perhaps Section 11, Chapter 111 on Collective Bargaining Labour
Relations Act No.66/1995 as amended which says ‘Trade Union Representativeness,
in this Part, unless otherwise stated, representative trade union means a
registered Trade Union, or two or more registered Trade Unions acting jointly,
that are sufficiently representative of the employees by an employer in a
workplace’, is imperative to quote it as it locates their roles within the
employment relation value chain.
Is it not enforceable for Shop Stewards to deliver on the mandate of the
working class in general and workers in particular? It is unless ‘others’ think
otherwise! Period
Unless not audible, Section 12 of the same Act has restores a view that [1] any
office-bearer or official of a representative trade union is entitled to enter
the employer’s premises in order to recruit members or communicate with
members, or otherwise serve member’s interests. Any ambiguity on same?
Shop Steward faces many challenges in their tasks, and many newly Shop Steward
may be hindered by the lack of knowledge on the scope and expectations of their
duties. Such a role cannot be underestimated as it is a statutory provision in
which nay transgressor may be punished for that matter.
‘Changes in the workplace and the labour market over the past 10–20 years have
presented trade unions with new challenges in organising an increasingly
fragmented workforce. Recent political and social developments in South Africa
and across our borders have underlined the challenges facing the trade union
movement on a broader front. Never before have the goals that workers’
movements the world over have struggled for – captured in COSATU’s Objective of
“a democratic and non-racial South Africa, economic transformation and a
continued process of political and economic democratisation” – been more
critical for society as a whole’. [Social Law Project, 2008].
Shop Steward may not be fashionable in situations where management is composed
of ‘genuine’ [com]-managers, who were duly schooled in maintaining sound
employment relationships, but be as it may the case that ‘somersaults’, ‘we
need each rhetoric’ are inherent in the life-span of any worker-manager milieu..
Such honey-moon lasts as long as ‘necessary tensions’ may be balanced within
the workplace. Those that are ‘on management good-books and/or those who aren’t
in management good-book’ syndrome has always caused sparks... And in many
instances these contradictions have made Unions to be a ‘permanent’ and
necessary shield against victimization, preferential treatment of some at the
expense of others, the protection of those perceived as defiant against those
perceived as ‘yes-boss grouping’ and lastly for those fighting for fairness or
social justice.
The role of a Shop Steward has provided the necessary ‘emotional turbulences
valve’, to release the boiling up of unsound labour relations in the workplace.
Many have argued on the contrary!
Many workers, perhaps displaying pomposity of arrogance and defiance have
argued that ‘I can represent myself, why do I need Unions?’, but to a certain
extent being over-shadowed by ‘pure’ arrogance and also ‘perceived’ high level
of education.
And a fact forgotten in many instances is that Unions are about ‘collective
action of workers’...many cases were won, much precedence on cases was
registered…but how many employers respect that? How many employers engage shop
steward on all work-related matters?
How many employers understand that the standard of living warrants them to have
a forward-thinking posture on raising wages/salaries?
The root cause of all these misreading resides purely on maximization of
profits at the expense of ‘sucking’ blood of workers labour power ‘richness’
>From a baseline bias approach, strengthening the role of a Shop Steward is
>imperative to inculcate, inoculate and consolidation a sound and revolutionary
>disposition on all shop-floor leadership, to understand their importance on
>the employment relations value chain...
We need Sop Stewards, who understand the following imperatives, as part of
their ‘daily chores’;
* A Shop Steward is a Leader,
* A Shop Steward is an Educator,
* A Shop Steward is a Communicator,
* A Shop Steward is a Unifier,
* A Shop Steward is an Activist, and lastly
* A Shop Steward is a Workers’ Advocate
The above-mentioned imperatives are amplified by the Social Law Project vision
which says ‘Certain Unions have invested substantially in providing significant
numbers of their Shop Stewards and Officials, with such education but this
might not be an option for all Unions. The proposal therefore envisages a
shared programme – i.e., a number of Unions each sending a limited number of
their members or officials to the programme’.
The importance of collective self-cultivation and/or ‘personal’
self-cultivation perhaps should be route pursued to galvanize the reengineering
of the importance of a Shop Steward in the workplace. And discontinue the
‘shortemism’ of using these leaders to gate-keep’ when promotion posts comes,
to bull-doze narrow interests of those harbouring intention to join management
echelons and/or to force themselves into the ‘yes-boss grouping’.
Is it really about modernizing the role of shop steward to attract and retain
young workers within Trade Unions or is it about revolutionarizing their roles
to entrench, inoculate and deepen Trade Unionism in all sectors of [our]
economy, amongst the young generation to sustain institutional memory?
Institutional memory sustenance and/or preservation of Trade Unions for future
generation should be our infinite occupation. Acting collectively has made what
Trade Unions are today, without any shadow of doubt!
Understanding on how Trade Unions operate should be portable skills for any
Shop Steward to embrace.One notable Labour Bulletin had these capturing, "The
crisis capitalism has entered globally is having a deep impact on the real
living conditions of billions of workers all over the world. With this comes a
growing consciousness among ordinary working people and youth that something is
seriously wrong with this system, that this cannot be the way human beings have
to live. Workers are looking for an explanation and proposals of how to get out
of this mess"[The Crisis-Make the Bosses pay!]
Are Shop Stewards glued on their roles versus this global scourge of
parasitism,feeding off its living from the labour power of the toiling classes?
What is another point of view on these imperatives?
Issued by:
Mampane Norman
National Spokesperson
Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union
Tel: 0112424600/4615
Cell: 0720737959
Email: [email protected]
www.popcru.org.za
01 Marie Road
Auckland Park
2006
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