How to...

negotiate with trade unions

Step back from 'us and them' positions and discuss the interests you and the union may share By Peter Samuel

The recent wave of strikes should remind us that good industrial relations are vital to managing a way out of the recession. The interests of your employer and those of your staff and their representatives may overlap but they are not identical too often this gets forgotten. So accept that a degree of disagreement is inevitable. When unions negotiate, they are unlikely to be trying to put one over on you. They are defending the pay and conditions of their members and want to see your organisation survive these difficult times. So step back from us and them positions and discuss the interests you and the union may share, no matter how limited. Here are six aspects of negotiation to keep in mind.

1 Identify distributive bargaining issues. Distributive bargaining is a term for those pay and rations issues that create the us-and-them scenario. Identifying these issues will help you to avoid positions (such as No way are they getting that) and to focus instead on interests (Why do they want that? Is there anything else in our locker that might help?). This is the area that, if managed poorly, often leads to industrial relations problems, so you need to identify the distributive issues and dig deeper to find the real interests. 2 Seek out integrative issue. Integrative bargaining is often over issues where you should be able to find common ground fairly easily. Equality, quality of working life and so on are historical labour goals. If you can park these issues in a separate arena from distributive bargaining, improved working relations between you and union representatives may be more likely and trust can be developed. 3 Build relationships. To build a close working relationship with union representatives and foster mutual respect, there must be consistency in your team. It is no use chopping and changing negotiators or delegating to less senior staff. Of course, some union representatives may perceive the attempt to build relationships as a sham to start with. But you should persevere. Make an effort to develop professional working relations with union reps as well as your own colleagues. 4 Understand the unions mandate. Negotiators are usually agents, so the deals they reach are often contingent on winning approval from others. You must keep in mind that union representatives often have a narrow mandate and that any agreements they negotiate are provisional until ratified by their members. Sometimes, deals reached in good faith can be rejected by members. You can help to avoid this by not striving to reach a quick conclusion even if you are under pressure to get a deal. 5 Exchange information. You will find it easier to reach agreements when you have demonstrated your openness by putting all your cards on the table. This will seem like heresy to hardcore negotiators. However, effective negotiation is not a game of poker, it is a serious business. There is no point in keeping information away from unions. If you can keep unions up to speed with all matters relevant to employment issues, you are more likely to discover that trade unions can be constructive allies, especially in difficult times.
Asociacin Espaola de Direccin y Desarrollo de Personas (AEDIPE) C/ Moreto 10, 28014 Madrid Telfono 914200612 aedipe@aedipe.es www.aedipe.es

6 Hold regular joint reviews. You should sit down with union representatives and your team to review how negotiations are doing. You need to be confident that the process is meeting the interests of all sides. Too often, negotiation becomes a once-a-year affair. Hold joint reviews every six months or so to conduct a health check. You should find that this will also help to improve working relations and will go some way to building mutual understanding of interests while breaking down positions.

Key points - Identify positions. - Recognise shared interests. - Encourage open information exchanges. - Avoid strong-arm tactics. - Accept unions do not usually seek employer downfall. - Understand that the mandate of negotiators is provisional.

(En virtud de intercambio editorial) http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/

Asociacin Espaola de Direccin y Desarrollo de Personas (AEDIPE) C/ Moreto 10, 28014 Madrid Telfono 914200612 aedipe@aedipe.es www.aedipe.es