Centre advocates collaboration between managements, unions

COLLABORATIVE efforts between management and trade unions will boost industrial harmony and bolster national development, the Director- General of National Productivity Centre ( NPC), Dr . Kashim Akor has said.

Speaking at the NPC branch of the Non- Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions ( NASU) congress, Dr. Akor said unions had a critical role to play in efficient running of organisations and insti

tutions.

“No management that knows what it is doing will think it can do it alone. Smart management recognises the need to carry in- house labour unions in all they do . The way to is to enthrone transparency . Management must as much as possible ensure that the principles of transparency and accountability is upheld at all times. Unions must know what management is doing, know the challenges confronting management. Above all, when challenges arise, unions must be invited for discussion. They

are stakeholders in the organisation. They are as important as the management in ever y organisation. No member of staff will want the organisation where he or she collects salar y to feed his or her family to collapse. So, as stakeholders in such organisations, the unions have a stake in the well- being of organisations. The best thing to do by organisations is to involve unions in the running of organisations.”

He revealed that in NPC, the management and the in- house union collaboratively design policies and execution of pro

grammes, which had minimised industrial frictions in the organisation. “These are what we try to do in the National Productivity Centre ( NPC). At the beginning of every year, both the management and in- house union sit down together to brainstorm on our programmes and policies. The management articulates the views of the union into our programmes. In the programme formulation, the management carries the union along. During the implementation stage, the union is also there.