COMPANY LEVEL
6.1 OBSERVATIONS
6.1.2 PARTICIPATION: AN AREA OF CONTEST BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND WORKERS
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general and Black workers in particular began sabotage the system around the 1970s, the management of the company began to see the need to bring workers closer.
6.1.2 PARTICIPATION: AN AREA OF CONTEST BETWEEN
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without any signs that such non- participation by workers in the company's decision- making organs was unacceptable.
This period clearly reflects the massive power enjoyed by management which the workers on their part, for reasons not part of the scope of this exercise, found extremely difficult to expose and challenge with any reasonable degree of success. The period between 1977 and 1985, the year when the Metal Allied Workers Union made its
presence, is a period when worker participation in an extremely limited sense came to the scene. The appointment of worker councillors by management, for instance, afforded an opportunity to the workers, at least in theory, to have their aspirations, fears and interests taken into account in the decisions eventually taken by management.
The coming into operation of the South African Allied Workers Union (SAA WU) in 1982 did not change this situation in any significant way in the sense that the trade union's spell in the company did not usher in any form of collective bargaining where the trade union could be taken as a serious partner in the relationship. During this time, indications were that the balance of class forces was in favour of the capitalist class.
During the period between 1985 and 1992 things continually shifted from the massive power relations in favour of capital to a more balanced scale in power relations between these two forces. During this time, workers could engage actively in collective bargaining with management which opened the space for the workers, not only to articulate their views with management before decisions are made but also to influence and participate in joint decision making with management on certain key issues. Where in the past
management could just change terms and conditions of employees' employment as and
when they pleased, this could no longer be done as workers began to exercise their strength as reflected in the many industrial actions taken by the workers during this period, including but not limited to strike actions, work-to-rule, go-slows, overtime bans, etc.
This new-found power and vigilance on the part of the employees at the company under scrutiny is just one among many flash points, which indicated a shift from a capitalist hegemony towards worker control and democracy. In fact, the nature and the content of such participation by workers in decisions affecting their employment relationship was contradictory and radical and further concurs with the view that worker participation is just one area where contradictory relations between management and workers are fought out and more often than not a microcosm of the broader struggle between labour and capital.
Between the years 1992 and 1998, worker participation has taken yet another dimension.
In addition to its contradictory dimension this period has seen the steady introduction of a
more conciliatory and coUaborati ve form of worker involvement in decision making.
Analysis of documents and recent interaction between management and workers shows that on the part of employers there is now acceptance that employees must be involved in decision making. On the part of employees, there is clearly a tendency to move away from demanding participation strictly on bread and butter issues at the expense of soft but core business issues, to incorporating these as part of their agenda.
This is clearly reflected on the demands to get involved on issues such as health and safety, productivity and shop floor management and company restructuring. These issues,
historically thought to be beyond the scope of employees influence, are now accepted by management as forming part of the issues which at the least, workers must be consulted on or at the most, joint decision making must be sought for businesses 'to succeed'.
On another level, the conciliatory and collaborative mentality can be deduced from the fact that between 1993 to December 1998, the company has not experienced any form of industrial action in any significant way as was the case in the period between 1985 to
1992. This period of 'peace' in the workplace is however, not in any way, signifying the absence of conflict and disputes between workers and management. What it shows though, is the degree to which, unlike in the past, the parties are now prepared to sit down around the negotiating table and resolve their differences through dialogue.
This preparedness to resolve differences around the negotiating table is indicative of the kind of mentality which has entered the political and ideological domain driving not only the South African but also the global public discussion and debate. The notion of the respect of human rights, the respect of the right of minorities, multi party liberal
democracies and other versions of the noe-liberal ideology, has contributed immensely to a labour relations of compromise and consensus building instead of a win-all situation of the 1980s.