WAGE NEGOTIATIONS, COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS & TRADE UNIONISM IN SRI LANKA

TRADE UNIONISM 

Master Servant struggle has been in continuation ever since the industrialised societies began in 18th century. 

However the need to protect the existence of the organization and its growth are considered to be paramount importance. 

In order to strengthen this thinking further the collective agreement model was agreed upon and ILO has developed a suitable framework to undertake meaningful collective bargaining process. 

However it’s about time we revisit the framework and identify the pros & cons of the bargaining process framework. Let’s start with the End in Mind. Let’s also take a 5 year period. How should the industry look like at the end of the next 5 year period. We saw the potential of 10 billion USD and submitted the proposal but fell in the deaf ears of decision makers. 

The government must support this thinking with a national wage policy and a properly drawn land policy ( when it is connected with plantations). Workers resorted to demanding higher daily wage because the successive governments failed to document a meaningful livable wage and to keep the cost of living low. An average living for a family needs around 50,000 per month. 

I believe that ad hoc policies and increasing wages can be detrimental to the very same spirit of CB process: killing of the organization. 

As a viable alternative ( labour has a right to profits) we can look at enterprise level bargaining like what India is doing being a much larger country. Also the wages system in USA ( O’net.org) 

Unlike in the case of India and many developed countries in the world, we do not have professional wage negotiators. Countries are developed not by brawns but by brains. SL is opposite. 

The emerging need to embrace appropriate technology ( green houses, fertigation) , maximising profits, diversification of crops must be left with the industry without political interferences. 

However it is to the management to make sure that the wage issues do not become a political issue merely for the survival of trade unions or the politicians. 

This depends on the managerial efficiencies of an organization to a greater degree. This begins with the meritocracy in recruitment like the President Gotabhaya says. Finally all problems in the country boils down to this simple HRM concept: 

‘Right People Drive business’

Irrespective of whether it is blue ocean or red ocean strategy the industry doesn’t have a globally  preferred hot product. I cannot understand how blue ocean strategy can work without a fast selling product. Are we back to a square one? 

For that the Food scientists are hardly involved in the product development although there are beverage universities in the world who handle similar issues. 

As an example, marketing of tea doesn’t seem to understand the need of product labelling. Educating the customer on the health benefit of tea, that is consumed. No independent organization seem to be interested in certifying the ‘chain of custody’ so the customer can drink tea with peace of mind. Further, buying green leaf on some scientific basis merely to ensure that the leaf is valued as a beverage than Poonack given to cattle. If we can get at-least 5 USD per Kg of tea produced then the transformation will be double quick. Low and cyclical prices has become a vicious cycle, which the industry has failed to understand. 

So I rest my case by concluding that we cannot expect any better if we continue to do the same thing over and over again with understanding the HRM concepts in better management. 

Meritocracy and competence come above all. Are we going to hold workers responsible for this issue? 

The writer was a senior planter and an Agricultural Adviser.