TITLE: THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SECTOR TRADE UNIONS (A Case
of Civil Service Unions in Zimbabwe)
Course: 534 PSM - RESEARCH METHODS
From: STUDENT: JEREMIAH BVIRINDI (130466)[email protected]
To: LECTURER: Dr Nelson Jagero
PROGRAMME: MPSM Distance Africa University
Due DATE: 30 April 2014
ASSIGNMENT: INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I......................................................31.0 Background of the study....................................31.2 Statement of the Problem...................................91.3 Purpose of the study......................................101.4 Research Objectives.......................................101.5 Research Questions........................................101.6 Scope of the study........................................111.7 Significance of the study.................................121.8 Operational Definitions of Key terms......................12CHAPTER II....................................................14REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE..................................142.0 Introduction..............................................142.1.1 Conditions of service for quality service delivery to be
achieved/concerns and expectations of civil servants.........142.1.2 The extent to which unions are fulfilling their mandates...............................................................172.1.3 Influence of politics in civil servants.................202.2 Theoretical Framework.....................................262.3 Related Studies...........................................27CHAPTER III..................................................31RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................313.0 Introduction..............................................313.1 Research Design...........................................313.2 Research Population.......................................333.3 Sample Size...............................................333.4 Sampling Procedure........................................343.5 Research Instrument.......................................343.6 Validity and Reliability of Instrument....................353.6.1 Validity................................................353.6.2 Reliability.............................................353.7 Data Gathering Procedure..................................353.8 Data Types................................................373.9 Data Analysis.............................................37
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3.10 Limitations..............................................383.11 Ethical Consideration....................................38APPENDIX I....................................................43QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE FUTURE OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS IN ZIMBABWE..............................................................43APPENDIX II: LETTER OF CONSENT................................48APPENDIX III : QUESTIONNAIRE CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS IN ZIMBABWE..............................................................49
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
3
The viability of Public Sector Unions remains a challenge in both
developed and developing countries including Zimbabwe. Recent
studies on trends of Public Sector Unions by European Commission
(2010) revealed that membership of trade unions in European
Countries is gradually declining. The study further exposed that,
in recent years industrial relations developments have been
increasingly characterized by certain secular trends: decline in
membership of social partner organizations, decentralization of
collective bargaining, and less coordination and concentration.
The study also established that industrial relations in the
public sector have been pushed into profound structural reforms
aimed at greater cost efficiency, mostly under pressure of fiscal
consolidation objectives, but also as a result of the
introduction of new technologies. It said such reforms have led
into cuts in public services, as well as the outsourcing of
public services to privately –run organizations or privatization
of parts of the public sectors, and have contributed to the
transformation of industrial relations in the public sector.
Singling out major European economies, a look into the United
Kingdom economic history and industrial relations trends show
5
that trade unionism was a major factor in economic crises during
the 1960s and in particular the 1970s, culminating in the Winter
of Discontent of late 1978 and early 1979, when a significant
percent of the nation’s public sector workers went on strike. By
this stage, some 12 000 000 workers in the united kingdom were
trade union members. According to Phil Dine (2007) the election
of the Conservative party led by Margaret Thatcher at the general
election in May 1979, at the expense of the Labour’s James
Callaghan, saw a substantial trade union reform which saw the
levels of strikes fall. Dine observed that the level of trade
union membership fell sharply in the 1980s and continued falling
for most of the 1990s into 2000s. The long decline of most of the
industries in which manual trade unions were strong-e.g. steel,
coal, printing, the docks—was one of the causes of this loss of
trade union members, Schifferes and Steve ( 2004). (United
Kingdom Study(2013) on Industrial Relations profile established
that in 2011 there were 6,135,126 members in Trade Union Congress
(TUC) affiliated unions, down from a peak of 12,172,508 in 1980.
The trade union density was 14.1% in the private sector and 56.5%
in the public sector.
6
In the United Sates, the decline in unionism since WW11 has been
associated with a pronounced rise in income and wealth
inequalities and since 1967 with loss in middle class income,
Madland, Walter and Bunker (2013) In Asian countries, the trend
is also reflecting declining membership levels associated with
impacts of global economic recession that resulted in low
production capacity and retrenchments of employees, Barron S.
(2012). Apart from economic recession, it has also been noted
that strategic human resources management practices and labour
law reforms have added the impact on the declining membership as
more companies now prefer a union free workplace environment and
more companies are resorting to new labour strategies.
7
The most common and becoming popular human resources strategies
are outsourcing ,lease or hiring of staff without necessarily
having to employ workers. These strategies have created union
free work environment and most companies are more in favour of
these strategies which on the other hand have threatened the
viability of unions. The impacts of these trends are not being
felt in the public sector only as companies across the world are
also resorting to these strategies.
In Africa, some labour unions are still holding ground in
particular the SADC region. Trade unions in South Africa are very
powerful and they use their huge membership as leverage for
bargaining better conditions of service, Congress of South Africa
Trade Unions (COSATU, 2013). Unlike in Zambia or other SADC
countries, wide spread strikes in South Africa are a clear
testimony of vibrant trade unionism coupled with poor working
conditions against the background of a sound economy in the hands
of exploiters hence the frequency of strikes.
8
In Zimbabwe, the trend is completely different both in the
private and the public sectors. The economic melt-down in 2007--
2010 had a serious impact on trade union memberships as the
country recorded huge labour flight and persistent closure of
companies. It is on record that today, the economy is operating
at 37%, meaning the other 63% capacity in the economy is idle,
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (2014). This translates to
high unemployment and shrinking taxation revenue base for
government. This will have a heavy bearing on its employees’
salaries that can trigger massive retrenchments. Since 2006, the
government had frozen some vacant posts living open those
considered critical. It fell short of retrenching. Under these
realities, public sector unions went for three years without
negotiating for salary increments for civil servants as the
Government was almost broke and developed cooled feet in meeting
unions representatives.
9
Despite its liquidity challenges, the Zimbabwe Civil Services
Commission today employs about 230 000 civil servants
out of its substantive establishment strength of around 280000
civil servants who occupy various grades and occupations in the
service some of which are still vacant since 2006. Of this
number , only 31% belongs to civil service unions, with the
education sector having majority membership.
Another underlying factor is that, the Civil Service is governed
by statutes which spell out the conditions of service of
government employees in line with their respective areas of
service as follows:-
- The Public Service Act governs the conditions of
service for rest of civil service.
- The Police Act governs the police force.
- The Prisons Act governs the prisons employees.
- The Defense Forces Act is for the army personnel.
10
As can be concluded from the stated Acts, the uniformed forces
are governed bydifferent pieces of legislation and the forces are
not allowed to be active members of trade unions. Unlike in
Zimbabwe, all other uniformed forces except the defense forces
belonged to trade unions of their choices in India, America and
South Africa.
For the entire civil service, there are 14 registered
unions namely:-
- Government Workers Association (GWA)
- Civil Service Employees Association( CSEA)
- Professional and Technical Workers Association.
( PROTEC)
- Government Officers Association (.GOA)
- Administrative and Executive Officers Association
(.ADEX)
- Zimbabwe Nurses Association.( ZINA)
- Zimbabwe Teachers Association.( ZIMTA)
- Progressive Teachers Union Of Zimbabwe ( PTUZ)
- Zimbabwe Doctors Association( ZDA)
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- Teachers Union of Zimbabwe. ( TUZ)
- Zimbabwe College Lectures Association
- Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Association
- Zimbabwe Magistrates Association
- Public Services Association of Zimbabwe (PSAZ) –a
federation of five unions.
Of all these unions, only PSAZ and ZIMTA are affiliated to the
Labour Centre, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and they
have a wide coverage and their collective bargaining cover the
entire civil servants while the rest are sector specific and
negotiations are centered at departmental and ministerial levels
with the exception of rival teachers unions who are a product of
disgruntlement and have high appetite for power. Some are
affiliated to an outlawed ZCTU faction.
The individuals who formed these new unions previously belonged
to the PSAZ and ZIMTA and others are allegedly creations of
political patronage and this study will seek to examine the cause
of breakaway and the declining in membership.
12
From year 1992 to 2000 the civil service experienced some labour
reforms triggered by Economic Structural Adjustment (ESAP), that
resulted in privatization, and commercialization of state
entities as well as unpronounced retrenchments which also
contributed to the alarming decline in union membership and the
emergency of small splinter unions. This decline in membership is
still a challenge and a continuous trend in trade union circles.
As ESAP hardships heightened, the government feared that some
labour unrests would prevail. In year 1997 a National Joint
Negotiating Council (NJNC) was established through a Statutory
Instrument #141 of 1997 recognizing only registered staff
associations as the legitimate negotiators representing
government workers for the first time. It is not a platform for
collective bargaining but for negotiating despite of a provision
for collective bargaining enshrined in the new constitution of
Zimbabwe.
In the NJNC, the Government is represented by Senior Government
Officers selected by the Civil Services Commission. An
13
independent Chairperson agreed upon by both parties chairs the
negotiations meetings and is paid from Government budget lines.
Agreements arrived at in NJNC are considered as binding but at
times without implementation and these defaults have a bearing on
the effectiveness of unions. A particular example is a recent
signed agreement between government and unions to increase staff
salaries with effect from January 2014 which took time to be
implemented and no concern was raised by unions as the employer
remained quite on the issue beyond the agreed date of
implementation.
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1.2 Statement of the Problem
The declining union membership has weakened the leverage of
unions to effectively bargain for better conditions of service at
negotiations platforms to an extend that the Government often
times is at liberty to make some decisions affecting civil
servants without consulting unions. This practice is causing
frustrations resulting in brain drain and perceived
ineffectiveness of unions as well as poor service delivery.
Despite increased membership management schemes, by civil service
unions, the situation continues to worsen and no effort has been
made to find out why this sad trend is deepening.
1.3 Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to find out factors underlying the
shunning of trade unions by civil servants and how the situation
can be addressed in order to retain the viability of unions for
labour justice and improved quality service delivery.
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1.4 Research Objectives
The objectives of the research are;
- to examine the influence of political parties in the public
sector unions
- to establish the concerns and expectations of civil servants in
the service
- to find out the extent to which unions are fulfilling their
mandates.
1.5 Research Questions
In order to get at the real causes of this problem, the
researcher has to find some answers to the following questions;
(1) What are the concerns and expectations of civil
servants which they feel should be addressed or
fulfilled?
(2) Do political parties influence civil service union’s
membership?
(3) To what extent do unions represent members and how
effective is the representation?
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(4) What attractive schemes membership wants in order to
address their immediate social and economic needs and
wants?
1.6 Scope of the study
(a) Geographic scope;
The study will be conducted in Harare, the capital city of
Zimbabwe where all Government ministries are
headquartered and would cascade down to Provinces and
Districts where Government Departments are based. The
research will also cover selected civil servants based
at Head offices of all Government Ministries in Harare.
This study will also cover public sector staff Associations/
unions registered by the Government of Zimbabwe who are
all headquartered in Harare some with some offices in
Provinces. Focus will be made on their Head office
database in Harare.
(b) Content scope:
17
The study will confine itself to the independent variable :
conditions of service. The dependent variable is
employee participation in trade union affairs.
(c) Theoretical scope;
The study will be guided by Freedom of Association and the
fence-sitting theories
1.7 Significance of the study
18
Zimbabwe civil servants today are the lowest paid under hyper
inflation triggered by sanctions among other factors which
resulted in poor economic performance in the country. Under the
prevailing poor conditions of service, it was widely expected
that more civil servants would join Trade Unions in order to
voice their concerns as a united front but it is surprising to
note that the opposite is obtaining , throwing a lot of worries
to unions’ future. It is actually worrying in the union circles
as to why potential members are not joining the unions under
conditions which are fertile for strong union membership. Given
this sad trend, it is of paramount importance to find out factors
underlying this problem in order to address the situation for the
future viability on unions.
1.8 Operational Definitions of Key terms
As this study focuses on the Public Service, it is important at
the onset to define the terms frequently used in this study.
19
The Public Sector refers to all institutions under the public
control where direct or indirect control is exercised through
appropriate legislation. It refers to the entire public
institutions like the National Government, Parastatals, Quasi-
government and local authorities and, in this respect their terms
of political control differ.
It is the Government here that is being referred to as the Civil
Services and the scope of this study will cover only staff
associations or unions in this sector or the Civil Service. It
is part of the broader Public Sector and though the terms Public
Service and Public Sector are used interchangeably, they may
refer to very different things. Staff Associations also refer to
civil service unions and the terms are used interchangeably.
20
The Civil Service is the largest employer and single important
provider of economic development programmes in the country. It is
the provider of essential services to the public without which
the role and accountability of Government to the people will be
compromised. Its ability to perform its mandate effectively and
efficiently is to a large extent bound by the quality of its
labour relations and the availability of meaningful resources
including human capital.
Decent work is a concept which defines good conditions of
service that motivate people to work with dignity and hope for a
better working future while the World of Work is about the
dynamics of the labour market.
21
The researcher will review books and journals on Public Sector
Unions by prominent writers from the International Labour
Organization (ILO) aka, the “World’s Parliament of Labour” and
Public Services International (PSI) among other authors. This
section will examine the conditions of service that are conducive
for achieving quality service delivery and quality job or decent
work delivery. It will look at the role of unions covering the
dimensions of the wider union agendas on reward systems, job
security, social protection, health and safety, fairness of
management, freedom of association and collective bargaining,
autonomy and skills development prevailing in the labour sector.
The study will also review literature on the impact of political
parties’ influence on trade unions and how it affects members and
union relations.
2.1.1 Conditions of service for quality service delivery to be
achieved/concerns and expectations of civil servants.
Caird, (as cited in Public Service International ,2005) argues
that quality public service is enhanced when workers are fairly
23
paid, feel valued, have the opportunity to make good use of their
skills and talents, and can see that they have a future in the
organization where they work. Good jobs are therefore likely to
be associated not just with motivated and enthusiastic staff, but
with effective organizational structures and processes. Quality
jobs and quality public services are just two sides of the same
coin. To achieve better conditions of service, trade unions have
a role at collective bargaining to press for decent work
practices by the employer.
A recent academic research by Conor Cradden (2003) revealed that
there is rapidly amazing evidence that a certain set of work
practices yield relatively large permanent increases in labour
productivity and that the practices are associated with the
provision of good quality jobs, employees participation,
cooperative employment relationships associated with a minimally
hierarchical management system, a relationship between wages and
productivity and employment security. These findings were
supported by Robbins (2009) who observed that performance is a
function of job satisfaction.
24
This theory by Robbins (2004) is true only where unemployment
levels are low and that people can get any employment as and when
they need it. In some African countries, where poverty is high,
performance is determined by job security and level of fear of
leasing that only source of life.
For Mucciacciaro (as cited in International labour Organization,
2006) decent work means that jobs should be rewarding. The work
should give and add value to worker’s life, with personal and
professional fulfillment. It appears the world of work’s
consensus is that decent work means jobs that allow for
fundamental rights, the right to associate, the right to
collective bargaining, the right to decent wages and a secure
job. Workers need jobs where they can provide long term for
their families and their future.
To achieve decent work, one must have the right environment for
workers to acquire both professional and personal skills ( A.
Moore, Director – Brussels Office Confederation of British
Industries ( CBI) personal communication,2006).. Moore said this
will provide a type of structure to drive their skills throughout
25
their entire careers, enabling them to lead a balanced life. (S.
Burrow, President , Australian Council of Trade Unions, personal
communication 2007) described decent work as work that provides
dignity and respect for working people. Fundamental rights, such
as wages and safe working conditions, must be guaranteed if
decent working conditions are to be achieved. Decent work
provides optimism for working people and their families, helping
to guarantee economic growth and sustainability. It is believed
decent work is a product of decent fundamentals, enabling the
Government, workers and employees to come together.
Decent work is also about the same opportunities for both sexes.
As (R. K. Ananga, Executive director Ghana Employers
Association , personal communication, 2009) pointed out that in
her part of the world, women carry burdens of the family and they
have an old saying in Africa; you train a woman, you train a
whole nation. Ananga argues that when women work, not only do
they support themselves and their families, but they support
society.
26
(R. Payos, Vice President Employers Confederation of Philippines,
personal communication 2009) said as a worker in the Philippines,
he took the concept of decent work very seriously because it is
there for his protection as well as the protection of all workers
despite race, gender and status – decent work gives awareness to
human capabilities.
2.1.2 The extent to which unions are fulfilling their mandates.
Decent work has become not only the organizing framework for
ILO’s activities in today’s age of globalization – it embodies
the principle that all human being irrespective of race, creed or
sex , have the right to pursue both material and well being and
their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity,
of economic security and equal opportunity – the attainment of
the conditions in which this shall be possible must constitute
the central aim of national and international policy. Decent
work has flourished into the organization’s future becoming a
global goal to be pursued by every country today and tomorrow,
Hansenne and Querenghi (1997).
27
When the employer defies the fundamentals of decent work, unions
are expected to intervene. As unions widen their agenda to
include demands for quality public services, they should also
extend their struggle around the concept of job equality. This
approach combines the traditional collective bargaining agenda
with a new emphasis on job design, work organization, skills,
career development and respect.
As Christina Conteh ( as cited in Public Service International ,
2006) clearly put it: “ that is unfair for the administration to
order the security to search the bras and pants of nurses. We
want respect.”
The demand for quality public services and quality jobs cannot be
achieved without collective bargaining. Some International
Labour Organization (ILO) instruments deal specifically with the
issue of collective bargaining. ILO Convention No. 98 defines
collective bargaining as voluntary negotiations between employers
or employer organizations and workers’ organizations with a view
to the regulations of terms and conditions of employment by
28
collective agreements. The related Recommendation No 91 goes on
to define collective agreements in effect as written contracts
between employers and workers representatives.
ILO (1981) highlighted that in modern society, collective
bargaining at different levels is the most important function
through which a trade union endeavors to accomplish its tasks –
improving working and living conditions for its members.
Collective bargaining is at the same time an essential
characteristic of a sound industrial relations system, recognized
as such by workers, employers and Governments alike.
The right to collective bargaining cover a whole spectrum of
systems and styles, reflecting to a large extent the cultural
values prevailing in a particular industrialised society. In many
industrial societies collective bargaining has indeed become all
but indispensable and it is an institution that has shown, time
and again, a remarkable resilience, adaptability and strength.
29
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU 2000), described
collective bargaining as a process of negotiations between
employers and employees for wages payable and other working
conditions that the worker will enjoy in return for their labour.
ZCTU alluded that trade unions are organisations whose intentions
are to improve the quality of the membership by pursuing the
following objectives:
to raise the material living standards of the workers as
high and as fast as the economy of a country can allow.
to develop dignity and respect for labour.
to avoid unilateral and arbitrary determination of working
conditions by employers;
to create democratic workplaces;
to create job satisfaction and security.
These objectives were supported by Tore N.,(1985) who said,
whatever the case, whether the union speaks for one man or for a
multitude, the burden resting on the representative’s shoulders
is heavy indeed. He asserts that, it is clearly of the utmost
importance, not only to working man or women, but to society as a
30
whole, that the members of trade unions should understand the
collective bargaining process, should appreciate its
possibilities and its limitations, and that workers
representatives should be competent to discharge their
responsibilities in this all important field.
In Zimbabwe today civil servants were removed from the main
Labour Act and are now governed by The Public Services Act which
has no provision for collective bargaining and a fair dispute
resolution mechanism like the right to withdraw labour as the
last resort after a deadlock at negotiations. This indeed
prompted some members of the unions to allege that civil service
unions are ineffective but on the other hand, civil servants were
not willing to strike. It is generally believed that, it is a
deliberate move by Government to divide and weaken unions.
Coetzee and Mamabolo,( as cited in COSATU 2003), contributed to
the discussion by saying the right to withhold labour is age-old.
They believed that as a remedy for conflicts between workers and
employers, it has a two-sided character: the workers can strike,
31
but the employers can retaliate with lockouts. Looking at the
labour codes in most Western countries, Coetzee and Mamabolo,
confirmed that we find the right to strike in them but closer
analysis reveals that this entrenchment has a more regulatory
than a declaratory character. They went on to say that most
governments follow a middle-of-the-road approach by accepting the
right to withhold labour, provided employers and workers follow
certain procedures before striking or resorting to lockouts.
These procedures have a cooling-off function and are prescribed
by the law.
32
2.1.3 Influence of politics in civil servants
International Labour Convention 87 (ILC 87) takes keen interest
in civil and political rights for without them there can be no
normal exercise of trade union rights and no protection of the
workers. Chapter II Paragraph 24 refers to freedom of expression
and of association as essential to sustained progress and
fundamental rights which are an inseparable part of human
dignity. Until recently, legislation in several countries
established a close relationship between trade union
organizations and the single political party in power. It is the
researcher’s submission that evil political relations should not
be allowed to exist for it serve to compromise the rights of some
workers of different opinion:
33
Posel (2007) in her case study of apartheid civil service on
Labour Relations and the politics of patronage made an assessment
of the historical relationships between the apartheid state and
white civil servants in the old South Africa public service. Her
analysis is crucial for this study’s consideration of labour
relations in the contemporary public service as it not only
identifies important legacies, but examines some of the lessons
that this history may hold today. The National Party of South
Africa used the Africanerisation of the civil service as a
strategy of industrial discipline in the public service. White
civil servants came to depend on the party for jobs, and
patronage functioned as a highly authoritarian instrument of
control. Posel said if white servants ever had any doubt about
this relationship, the Broederbond possessed mechanisms of
surveillance to remind would be obstreperous civil servant
exactly where control really lay.
34
The Public Services Association of South Africa was often
powerless to neutralize this kind of patronage, partly because of
the state’s power but also because the PSA played by the rules,
which were crafted by the state to circumscribe the
organizations’ effectiveness resulting in membership decline.
Posel (2007) found out that this history is relevant today as we
continue to witness such relations in Africa.
35
Barnes and Reid,(1982) in their case study on Governments and
Trade Unions asserted that since 1945 all governments have been
concerned about the consequences of trade union power. They
argued that governments have regarded the wage increases produced
by collective bargaining as inhibiting their attempts to maintain
full employment, stable prices and a satisfactory balance of
payments and increase the rate of economic growth and generally
manage the economy. They found out that when unions have
increased industrial power and political influence, their
membership increased and vice versa. They noted that in Britain
several Acts were created which prohibited civil servants from
belonging to unions in membership with Trade Union Congress (TUC)
after it incited wide spread strikes.
36
During that period of strife, Ramsay MacDonald in Barnes and
Reid,(1981)described the attitude of trade unions representatives
as practically a declaration of war, saying: “ if we yield now to
the TUC we shall never be able to call our bodies or souls or
intelligences our own’. In support of this statement, Stanley
Baldwin in Barnes and Reid,(1981) echoed that it was an attempt
to take over power by a body that has not been elected. He said
if it succeeded it will be the end of parliamentary democracy
which they have taken centuries to build, there can be no
negotiations and it can only end in a complete surrender , he
said in reference to the General Council of the(TUC) calling a
general strike in support of the Miners. These statements reflect
how powerful a trade union can be when it has the full support of
its membership and is apolitical.
37
In similar remarks to trade union power, Sir Edward Grey in
Barnes and Reid,(1981) described the Coal workers strike as the
beginning of a revolution, saying: “ power has passed from the
King to the nobles, from the nobles to the middle class and
through them to the House of Commons and it is now passing from
the House of Commons to the Trade Unions”. When unions resort to
strikes after the collapse of collective bargaining the
government views this action as lawlessness and a threat to its
power. As Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls in Barnes and Reid,
(1981) puts it-‘the power which challenges the rule of law most
is the power of Great British union at present….one of the
biggest problems of the law today is how to restrain the misuse
or abuse of power’. To sum up this thinking, Chuter Ede, the then
Home Secretary (1948) questioned Arthur Deakin, the Secretary
General of Transport and General Workers Union then, during a
dock strike; “I sometimes wonder, Mr Deakin, who governs this
country-the government or the Trade Unions?” ‘That is the
question I would prefer to leave to you to answer’. He said. From
the foregoing views and comments, it is evident that , politics
38
of non- political patronage strengthen the power of unions and
contribute to increased union membership.
In Zimbabwe, the arrival of other political forces ,on the
political arena, which resulted in the establishment of a short
lived Government of National Unity in 2009 between rival
political parties had the involvement of some Trade Unions, who
openly declared their political affiliations quite hopeful of
gaining political power and form a government but failed
dismally. This political patronage undermined the interests and
choices of some union membership which resulted in apathy. Trade
unions need to play a crucial role in protecting labour relations
as a system above political loyalties. In this respect all trade
unions, irrespective of their different histories and traditions,
have a common interest as trade unions in their relations with
their employer.
39
This position is supported by ILO (1994) in its resolutions of
International Labour Conference Clause 132 – 81st Session as
regards the political activities of trade unions movement,
concerning their independence. It remains as valid as it then
was. When trade unions, in accordance with the law and practice
of their respective countries and following a decision of their
members, decided to establish relations with a political party or
to undertake constitutional action as a means towards the
advancement of the economic and social objectives, such political
relations or actions should not be of such a nature as to
compromise the continuance of the trade union movement or its
social and economic functions irrespective of political changes
in the country. Furthermore, in order to guarantee the
independence of the trade union movement, Government should not
attempt to transform trade unions into an instrument for the
pursuance of political aims or interfere with the normal
functions of a union under the pretext of its freely established
relationship with a political party.
40
ILO convention 87, section 134, says that workers’ organizations
have several means available to promote and defend the economic
and social interest of their members within the framework of
collective bargaining. These means, which include meetings,
protest demonstrations or the presentation of petitions are
solely intended to express the discontent of trade unions on
certain matters. The section said means of action which place
stronger pressure on the employer, essentially through strike
action is often the symptom of broader and more diffuse issues,
so that the fact that strike is prohibited by a country’s
legislation or by a judicial order will not prevent it from
occurring if economic and social pressures are sufficiently
strong, Buhlungu (2005).
41
However, in some countries with the common-law system, strikes
are regarded as having the effect of terminating the employment
contract, leaving employers free to replace strikers with new
recruits. In Zimbabwe, the Economic Structural Adjustment
Programme (ESAP) which was undertaken by Government in 1992 as an
economic policy, has had far reaching social, economic and
political consequences.
According to D Nyamukapa and A Sibanda ( 2000), ESAP has seen
inter alia, the erosion of workers’ rights, job insecurity and
unemployment. More often than not, it is the workers who have
suffered the most as the then gloomy picture in the service
reveals. Various legal reforms have been hastily put in place so
as to match the demands of an open market. Some of these reforms
have faced resistance from private sector workers as evidenced by
the 1992 demonstrations by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU) which culminated in the Supreme Court case of in re:
Davison Munhumeso and other (SC22/93).
42
During this period of economic hardships, the public sector
unions never participated or protested - a non action which was
largely viewed as politics of patronage against the background of
labour/ employment uncertainties brought about by ESAP.
2.2 Theoretical Framework
In pursuance of workers’ rights, public sector unions must
structure and align themselves with members from point of
view of:-
- Leadership commitments to the agenda of
collective bargaining, building core-
competence and schemes development.
- A clear vision and values integrating member
satisfaction into the core agenda.
- A clear strategy that aligns the conditions
of service and quality public service
delivery.
- Networking with other key stakeholders
43
Alliance building, international collaboration and the promotion
of the adoption of international labour standards during this
period of pace- faced- change is fundamental, Schmidt V. (as
cited in ILO ‘s Bureau for Workers Activities: Global Union
Research Network-Union Agenda 2010).
On the other hand effective representation at collective
bargaining calls for inclusion of multidisciplinary approach
where relevant competences are pooled together to match the
academic challenges associated with negotiations because once the
bread is lost at negotiations it is difficult to pursue and
recover. Expectedly the Government must focus on developing the
right cultures and employees’ competences, the right framework
for committed employee engagement as ambassadors of the
Government through hiring the right people to achieve strategic
fit. In conclusion, Public Services Unions need to network with
their membership, local, regional and international stakeholders
like SADC and ILO to appraise themselves with emerging practices
and new thinking in the labour market.
Figure 1. Conceptual framework
44
2.3 Related Studies
Studies conducted by T Bramble and Kuhn (2000) revealed that the
transition to democracy in South Africa presented the Congress of
South African Trade Unions (COSATU) with new challenges as well
as opportunities. COSATU has shifted from adherence to the social
movement model of unionism, with an associated approach of
“militant abstentionism” towards the South African state, to a
partnership model, best epitomized in its involvement in the
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Public Service International (PSI)
Government
Civil Service Apex Council
National Joint Negotiations Council(NJNC)
Trade Unions Membership Services and alliances
1. job Security and fair reward systems
2. Health & Safety
6. Legal framework
5. Right to Collective Bargaining
4Right to . Freedom of Association
3. Skills development
Stakeholders Conditions of service
Civil Servants
45
National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC). Such a
transition has not been without its problems for the unions,
however, which have been the subject of studies by, for example,
the National Labour and Economic Development Institute (NALEDI,
1994).
Two questions arise for COSATU at the present political
conjuncture. The first relates to the continuing viability of
corporatism, which has been defined as a political structure
within advanced capitalism which integrates organized socio-
economic producer groups through a system of representation and
co-operative mutual interaction at the leadership level and of
mobilization and social control at the mass level , Panitch ,Leo
& Swartz, Donald, (2003). The question facing COSATU is whether
the corporatist agenda explicit within NEDLAC is compatible with
the programme of economic internationalization currently pursued
by the ANC Government through its GEAR macro- economic framework.
The corporatist project, which was in its heydays in the western
world in the 1960s and 1970s, has become somewhat fragile in
46
recent years. Unsuccessful experiments have included the British
Social Contract between 1974 and 1978 which succeeded in
restraining wages and eroding workplace union organization to the
advantage of business.
47
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
This section will focus on discussing the methodology that is
deemed appropriate for the execution of this study, that is, the
research design, reveal and elaborates on the various stages that
the researcher will go through before data collection and
describe the process of data collection, presentation and
analysis. The study will employ the qualitative and quantitative
techniques to establish the level of job satisfaction within the
services and the effectiveness of unions in addressing the
concerns of their members. It will also analyze the
appropriateness of the prevailing conditions of service and the
quality of service delivery as well as the impact of political
patronage on union membership.
49
3.1 Research Design
A research design is the programme that guides the researcher in
collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations by first
developing hypothesis and then adopting the most appropriate
strategy. It is the overall plan, structure and strategy of
investigation conceived to obtain answers to research questions.
Research design is the methodology, on which data is collected
and analyzed Leedy, P. D. (1997). The researcher will use
quantitative design which is non-experimental, using the survey
research design, which includes the use of questionnaires as data
gathering method. A survey is a systematic attempt to collect
information from a sample of individuals to describe and explain
their beliefs, attitudes, values and behavior and it is used to
describe, explain and explore situations or events. The survey
research design allows data to be standardized and there is easy
comparison. Although much time is spent in designing
questionnaires, survey research gives the researcher control over
the research process.
50
The questionnaire will comprise of semi-structured, structured
and closed questions. Questions are chronologically arranged to
address the research questions and objectives. According to
Sudman and Bradburn (1983) the usage of open-ended questionnaires
was meant to give respondents an opportunity to respond to
questions with an open mind. The researcher will immensely
benefit from in-depth responses. However, open-ended questions
are sometimes waffled through and with a lot of irrelevance hence
the research will use closed questions.
A significant proportion of questionnaire will be closed
questions. The respondents are limited to choosing from a set of
alternatives. Closed questions keeps the respondent more focused
to the study and make data analysis and interpretations easier.
They are simpler to administer analyze though they may bring
inaccuracies because of researcher bias, omissions or oversight.
There is also no control on respondents as some influential
people targeted may end up giving their subordinates to take-up
responsibility. There is also a high possibility of
misinterpretation of the questions.
51
3.2 Research Population
The research is going to cover some Government ministries’ head
offices in Harare through respective Human Resources managers
down to Provinces and Districts. The target population is 230
000 civil servants and 12 registered civil service unions.
3.3 Sample Size
Table 1 sample size of the study
Organization Population Sample
Civil service 230000 11500
Civil Service
Unions
14 14
Total 230012 11514
Sources: Salary Service Buereau (2014) and Ministry of Public
Service, Labour and Social Welfare (2013)
According to Amin (2004) the sample size greater than 10000 is
obtained as follows :
N= z2pq/e2
Where n= sample size
Z= standard normal deviate set at 1.96 corresponding to 95% cl
52
P= proportion of the population with desired characteristics
(unionism)
Q=1-p
E= maximum allowable error set at 0.05
Required: n=?
Solution: n= 1.96(0.5*0.5)
(0.05)2
N= 384
Sample size is 384 respondents
53
3.4 Sampling Procedure
In order to select a representative sample, the researcher will
first obtain a sample frame: list of registered civil service
unions and number of civil servants in all ministries. Cluster
sampling will be used to select civil servants in various
ministries and departments at Head offices, provinces and
Districts because the respondents are massive. Cluster sampling
is used when it is not practical or very difficult to obtain a
complete list of all elements in a population because of the
massiveness of the sampling frames. Cluster sampling involves
randomly selecting existing ministries and departments in a
population through simple random, systematic or stratified random
sampling or creating clusters and randomly selecting some from
among them. It also involves randomly selecting individual
elements from randomly selected clusters and interviewing them.
Simple random sample will be used to select civil servants
union’s respondents. These methods will provide each respondent
with the probability of being selected.
3.5 Research Instrument
54
The research instrument which will be used in this study will be
a self devised questionnaire. The questionnaire will be closed
ended in structure where a five point likert’s scale will be
used. The survey questionnaire will be framed on the basis of the
research questions and objectives of the study. The questionnaire
will be divided into two parts: Part 1, will consists of
demographic data related to the respondents’ background, i.e.
age, gender, marital status, designation, highest educational
qualifications. Part 2 will consist of union membership data over
a period of five years.
3.6 Validity and Reliability of Instrument
3.6.1 Validity
Validity determines whether the research truly measures that
which it was intended to measure or how truthful the research
results are. Validity is the most important idea to consider when
preparing an instrument to use. A study with validity lead to
acceptable conclusions with high degree of compliance, Creswell
J.W (2007).
55
3.6.2 Reliability
Reliability refers to the ability of an instrument to collect the
same data each time on repeated observations of the same
phenomenon. The pre-test methods with an interval of two weeks
will be used to establish the reliability of the questionnaire.
The technique will involve administering the same instrument
twice to the same group of subjects using convenience sampling.
3.7 Data Gathering Procedure
56
The researcher will get permission from the Civil Service
Commission to visit various ministries and departments to collect
data. Questionnaires will be administered through drop and pick
method giving respondents two weeks to complete before
collecting. The questionnaires will be sent to provincial offices
of selected union staff for distribution to respondents. Since
the outcome of the research is in their best interest, they are
strategically positioned to administer the questionnaires at that
level following clearly defined instructions and ethics. The
researcher will administer questionnaires at Head offices of
Ministries and unions. The returned questionnaires will be
checked for completeness. Those that are not fully answered will
not be considered for data analysis.
The researcher has chosen surveys by virtue of their high usage
rate in quantitative research for they are robust and compatible
with descriptive research designs. There are also very
compatible with data collection instruments and measurement
scales. In such a survey answers like how, why, what, which
constitute the research questions need to be addressed.
57
Conversely, interviewer- administered surveys contacted on a face
to face are effective in surveys where great deal of
clarification is required. The method only requires the presence
of the interviewer but such face to face enables the researcher
to obtain immediate feedback and gives the interviewer the chance
to probe and explain ambiguities in questionnaires. However, the
cost of administering such could be very expensive and chances
are high that the interviewer may be biased which resultantly
distorts the findings.
3.8 Data Types
Primary and secondary data types will be used. Primary data
which will be obtained through interviews and questionnaires,
will give the research first hand information. On the other hand
secondary data will be used to get the background and historical
information and key statistical information for example, number
of grades, qualifications required per grade, occupation profile
and rate of staff turnover in Government, union membership from
58
the past five years to date and percentage of resignations from
unions. The research will rely on unions’ records, Public
Services Commissions records, and Publications, Salary Services
Bureaus (SSB) and members on the ground and other relevant bodies
to obtain secondary data.
3.9 Data Analysis
Data analysis forms an integral part of any research process in
an endeavor to come up with meaningful findings. The researcher
will carry out the analysis of quantitative data using
statistical package for the social sciences (spss) and hence the
data collection methods will be designed to make analysis as
straightforward as possible. Spss was specifically designed to
analyze data from the social science, but it is now widely used
by a variety of fields and individuals. With spss the researcher
can perform highly complex data manipulation and analysis with
simple straight forward instructions/ commands. SPSS can take
data from almost any type of file and use them to generate
tabulated reports.
59
3.10 Limitations
The most observed Official Secrets Act in Government is also
likely to place some limitations on the research among other
limitations as follows:.
Objectivity for responses by various levels of members
cannot be guaranteed despite best efforts by the
researcher. This may depend on members’ experiences
with unions. Bitter members and those with very close
relationships with unions may unconsciously give biased
responses.
The credibility of data obtained from unions/Government
database has been assumed, no effort will be made to
validate the accuracy and reliability of data
collected. The choice of sampling methods for sampling
framework, for variables and population categories
could be viewed as subjective in a way. Different
sampling methods have, each its own advantages and
disadvantages.
60
Not a lot was found on previous studies/researches on
the unions in the context of members’ satisfaction.
This limits the drawable inferences to information
related to the researcher’s current efforts only.
3.11 Ethical Consideration
The researcher will seek formal permission from the Civil
Services Commission of Zimbabwe and unions head offices to
conduct a study of this nature from their employees and members.
The researcher will conduct his work in honest and transparent
engagement of all managers, employees and members on all matters
related to this research and all information from respondents
will be treated with confidentiality.
61
4. REFERENCESBramble and Kuhn (2000) Trade Unions in Partnership withGovernment: The Australian Experience 1983—1996 andlessons from South Africa Buhlungu S. (2005) Trade Unions and Struggles for Democracyand Freedom in South Africa 1973 ---2003: Khanya College;Education for Liberation ISBN 0-620-33970.5 Congress of South African Trade Unions (2013) The Power ofmembership numbers in Bargaining; The Guardian, 30 June 2013.
Cradden C.(2005) An Independent Researcher in Industrialand Organizational
Sociology - at www.world-psi.org/job-quality
62
Creswell, J.W. (2007) Research Design: Qualitative andquantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks.CA: Sage.
Dine P. (2007) State of the Unions: How Labour can Strengthenthe Middle Class, Improve our Economy, and Regain PoliticalInfluence; McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-148844-0
European Commission (2010) Directorate General forEmployment, Social Affairs and Inclusion: IndustrialRelations in Europe.
Hansenne M. and Querenghi (1997) Contract labour: Looking atissues; International Labour Office: Labour EducationNo.106/107. Geneva.
International Labour Conference (ILC) 81st Session (1994), ReportIII (Part 4B).
International Labour Organisation (2006)- (2010)World of Work Magazine No 57 –102 July –SeptemberInternational Labour Organisation (1996) LabourManual ISBN N 92-2-102867-4Leedy,P.D. (1997) Practical Research: planning anddesigh (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Madland, Walter and Bunker (2013) As Union membershiprates decrease, Middle Incomes shrink, AFL-CIO.
Nyamukapa M. and Sibanda A. (2000) – Researcher and Editor –book on Industrial Relations , Structural Adjustment Programme inAfrica. ISBN0-7974-1980-2 Chapter 19 page 246 – The Erosion ofWorker Rights Under the ESAP in Zimbabwe 2000.
Panitch, leo$Swartz, Donald (2003) - From consent tocoercion: The assault on trade unions freedoms, 3rd ed. Ontario:Garamound Press.
Posel D. (2000) – Researcher of National Labour and EconomicDevelopment (NALED) South Africa Book on Public Service LabourRelations in Democratic South Africa Labour Relations andPolitics of Patronage page 41.
63
Public Service International (2005) The Focus: Journal onDecent Work in the Public Service vol #57 of March 2005.
Robbins S. (2009) Organizational Behavior (13th ed.) UpperSaddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.
Schifferes and Steve (2004) The Trade Unions’ Long Decline:BBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2014
Tore N. (1981) – ILO Manual ISBN 92-2-102867 -4 Trade UnionFunctions and
Services.United Kingdom Study (2013) Industrial Relations Profile:Europa ; Retrieved 16 January 2014Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (2014) Low IndustrialCapacity Utilization and Unemployment; The Herald 27 February2014
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APPENDIX I
QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE FUTURE OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS IN ZIMBABWE
IDENTIFICATION (Serial Number)
1. Ministry…………………………………………………………………………
2. Department………………………………………………………………………
3. Sex of respondent. 1 female 2male
4. How old are you? Please tick
a. 18-24years b. 25- 29 years c. 30-34years d 35-39 years e. 40-44 years f 45- 49 years g 50 years and above
5. What is your highest level of education completed?
a. Grade 1 to 7b. Form 1 to 6c. Diploma/Certificate after primaryd. Diploma/Certificate after secondarye. Graduate/f. Postgraduate
g. Other, specify…………………………………….
6. What is your current occupation? …………………………….
66
7. What is your employment grade? 1. A 2. B 3.C4. D 5. E
8. Length of service
a. 0 – 1 yearsb. 1 – 5 yearsc. 5 – 10 yearsd. Over 10 years
9. Are you a member of any public sector union / Association? 1 yes 2 No
10. If yes in question 9 above tick your association below,(a) ZIMTA(b) ZINA(c) PROTEC(d) ZDA(e) PTUZ(f) GWA(g) TUZ(h) PSA(i) ZMA(j) APTA(k) ZDA(l) ADEX(m) GOA(n) CSEA
11. For how long have you been a member of the association?Years------- months-------
12. What benefits have enjoyed from your associationa. Soft loansb. Collective bargainingc. Educational conferences/Workshops
67
d. buying school uniforms on accounte. Safeguarding my rights as an employeef. Nothingg. Other (Specify)……………………………………………………………
13. Do you intend to remain a member of your association forthe next period of your employment? 1 yes 2No
14. If no in 5 above give reasons………………………………………………………
15. If you are not a member of public sector unions orassociation state and or tick the reason(s) why you are not amember
a. Subscriptions too highb. Associations or public sector unions are of no
benefitc. Associations or public sector unions are too weakd. My salary is too lowe. Lack of transparency in operations of trade unionsf. Not aware of any association to joing. Not aware of benefits of being a memberh. Other specify ……………………………………………
16. Have you been a member of any public sector union? 1 yes2 No
17. If ‘yes’ in question 16 above why did you quit?a. Subscriptions too highb. Associations or public sector unions are of no
benefitc. Associations or public sector unions are too weakd. My salary was too low by thene. Lack of transparency in operations of trade unionsf. Not aware of any association or public sector
union to joing. Not aware of benefits of being a memberh. Other specify………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
68
18. Have you ever benefited from your current orprevious associations or public
sector unions/ Association? 1 yes2 No 3 Never seek assistance
19. If ‘Yes’ in q18 , what was the benefit
a. Soft loansb. Collective bargainingc. Educational conferencesd. buying school uniforms on accounte. Safeguarding my rights as an employeef. Nothingg. Other (Specify)……………………………………………………………
20. Have you at one time failed to get assistance from yourassociation or public sector union after seeking for suchassistance? 1 yes 2 No
3 Never seek assistance
21. If ‘no’ to question 20, Give name ofassociations…………………………………
22. What other things do you feel Associations or publicsector unions should do for the benefit of theirmembers………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Opinions and attitudes on the services of Trade unions
22. Please rate how you feel about each statement by ticking inthe appropriate box.
1 Strongly Agree SA 2 Agree A 3 Disagree DIS 4 StronglyDisagree SD
69
3
3
a) Trade unions have deviated from theirpursuance of its constitutional mandate SA A DIS SD b) Government respect the democraticrights of a worker
SA A DIS SD
c) party politics influence thebehaviour and choice of civil servantsparty politics influence unions
SA A DIS SD
d) Unions represent workers effectively SA A DIS SD e) Unions have packages that lureworkers but not address their plight
SA A DIS SD
f) Unions should train workers on theirrights
SA A DIS SD
g) All associations should mergetogether for uniformity of servicesacross the board
SA A DIS SD
Quality job and quality public service assessment
The following questions relate to your knowledge andunderstanding of the following terms.Please tick to show your responses to the questions (multipleresponses allowed) 23. Decent work refers to a. Jobs should be rewarding
b. Jobs that allow for fundamental rights e.g. Collectivebargainingc The right environment for workersd. Work that provides dignity and respect for working peoplee. Same opportunities for both sexesg. Protection of all workers against race, gender, and status
24. Collective bargaining refers to: Voluntary negotiationsbetween employers or employer organisations and workerOrganisations with a view to regulations of terms and conditionsof employment by collective agreements
a. Strongly Agree b. Agree
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c. Disagreed. Strongly Disagree
25. Do you think Government unions have the power they deservefor them to fully do their mandate? 1yes 2 No
26. If ‘No’ to Q25, Give your reasons to supportyour answer ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....................................................
Thank you,
71
APPENDIX II: LETTER OF CONSENT
Dear Respondent
I am doing a research project on ‘declining of membership in the
public sector unions of
Zimbabwe as a case. This research is a requirement of the
Masters in Public Sector Management at Africa University.
May you please assist me by completing the following
questionnaire?
Be guaranteed that your responses will be used for academic
purposes only and will be highly confidential. (Please provide
comments where necessary)
Yours faithfully
Jeremiah Bvirindi
72
APPENDIX III : QUESTIONNAIRE CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS IN ZIMBABWE
To be administered on trade unions (Workers associations)
IDENTIFICATION (Serial Number)
May you kindly indicate the number of your members for the past
five years in the table below.
Sex 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Females
Males
Total
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