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Guide III: Working with Unions

October 1995

Table Of Contents

Introduction

Consulting with unions on quality services initiatives (principles)

Steps for success (strategy for improvement)

Workplan for implementation (checklist)

Milestones and achievements (performance indicators)

Timelines

Best Practices

Tools

References

Introduction

Good union-management relations are essential to the success of quality service initiatives across the federal Public Service. Efforts must be made to build good relationships if we hope to deliver quality services and attain higher levels of employee and client satisfaction.

Consulting With Unions On Quality Service Initiatives (Principles)

Consultation has long been the foundation of good union-management relations. It is a joint process of gathering and providing information, and obtaining input from those involved in anticipated changes to procedures and methods. Effective consultation is about partnership; it implies a shared responsibility for and ownership of the process and the outcome, including acceptance by all affected by the change.

Consultation should be based on openness, honesty, and transparency of purpose and process. All parties share the responsibility for making consultation work and for encouraging its acceptance by all.

The process should be conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. It should be motivated by a commitment on all sides to share information, to be open to the ideas of others and to work together to solve problems and resolve differences.

Consultation is not a vehicle for communicating management decisions or for generating predetermined outcomes. It must not be used, nor be perceived to be used, as a way to erode management rights or union and employee rights gained through collective bargaining.

The process requires a major investment of resources, time and energy; however, the benefits are considerable.

Steps For Success (Strategy For Improvement)

A climate that supports early and full participation from local, regional and national unions is essential. Most departments have existing union-management consultation committees, also known as joint consultation committees. Quality service initiatives, like any contemplated change in the workplace, should be brought to these committees for discussion. However, this type of consultation is not sufficient to ensure success. Joint work site committees are the engine for successful workplace initiatives.

Once work site groups are in place, they should follow fundamental principles for effective group work. Some of these principles include clear mandates for the participants, agreement on common goals and interests, and a clear understanding of the expectations of the parties. Participants should have a realistic idea of how much time the process is likely to take and should have their supervisors' agreement that these tasks form an integral part of their duties and are reflected in their workplans and performance objectives.

If participants lack training or experience in working in groups, they could receive training in communication, group dynamics, problem solving, consensus building and other process skills. In addition, if some participants have previous experience with total quality management or quality of work life initiatives, it is important for them to acknowledge these experiences, whether positive or negative, and to learn from them. A facilitator can help the participants to take stock of themselves and to develop ways to build on their strengths and reduce their weaknesses.

The work site groups should establish good feedback and communication mechanisms to ensure that everyone involved - which could include clients, employees, unions and management - can exchange consistent, accurate, and timely messages.

Workplan For Implementation (Checklist)

Once contact has been made with the unions and the work site group has been established, the group members should:

• develop terms of reference or ground rules for working together;
• negotiate the agenda and process of consultation;
• establish targets, methods, timeframes and performance indicators;
• identify constraints and ways to overcome them;
• draft a statement of principles, which could be:

- an agreement to work together to make things better

- an agreement to find workable solutions in a workable way or

- an agreement to work together to get buy-in from all concerned;

• identify training needs and training solutions regularly;
• recognize and build on areas of success in previous initiatives with unions, employees, management and clients;
• establish mechanisms for self-assessment; and
• establish mechanisms for feedback and communication with all parties affected by the quality service initiative and modify goals accordingly.

Milestones and Achievements (Performance Indicators)

Performance indicators will normally reflect the targets established by the organization and the goals agreed to by the working group for the individual quality services initiative. They could include tangible efforts made to establish or produce:

• work site groups with active union, management and employee participation, including client groups where possible and appropriate;
• terms of reference;
• a framework for working together;
• common goals and methods of implementation;
• communication and feedback mechanisms;
• joint training sessions; and
• joint announcements and celebrations of success.

Timeliness

Union-management consultation is an ongoing process. In any quality service initiative, all parties should be involved as early as possible.

Best Practices

Networking and learning from the experiences of others can alleviate the frustration that often arises when people feel they are re-inventing the wheel. Work site groups should establish a best practice exchange to collect and publicize examples of practices that worked (and that did not work) within the department, in other government departments and in the private sector. Work site groups may wish to invite management and union representatives from areas where joint initiatives exist to discuss their experiences and the lessons they learned. Existing quality service networks at the municipal, regional or provincial levels can also be useful places for sharing best practices.

Tools

In addition to referring to the principles governing good union-management consultation outlined earlier in the paper, working group members can also rely on other consultative forums and tools to help them get things done. Examples of consultative forums already in existence include:

• the National Joint Council of the Public Service of Canada;
• the Mediation Services office of the Public Service Staff Relations Board;
• quality service networks at the national, regional or interprovincial, provincial and municipal levels;
• joint technical committees;
• the Air Navigation System Commercialization Advisory Board;
• the Coast Guard Commissioners' newsletters and hotline;
• departmental joint national/regional and workplace safety and health committees; and
• the Air Navigation System National Advisory Committee.

Other resources include:

• labour relations specialists in departments and bargaining agent representatives;
• training and consultation services offered by universities, colleges, the Canadian Centre for Management Development, Training and Development Canada, Consulting and Audit Canada, and private sector institutions; and
• Treasury Board and departmental inventories of best practices.

References

Anderson, John. Total Quality Management: Should Unions Buy into TQM? Ontario Federation of Labour. TARP Project, 1993.

Canada. Treasury Board Secretariat. Focusing on the Client: The Quality Services Initiative. Ottawa, June 20, 1995.

Crossman, Bert. Labour Relations in a Downsizing Environment. Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, 1995.

Wright, Ruth. Managing Labour Relationships in a New Economy. The Conference Board of Canada.