Industrial Relations (IR), Employee Relations (ER) and Trade Union Harmony

By the end of this course, participants will learn to:

• Develop a collaborative approach to Industrial Relations (IR) & Employee Relations (ER)
• Examine techniques for enhancing & transforming Industrial Relations (IR), Employee Relations (ER) and Trade Unionism
• Appreciate the importance of employee engagement and empowerment
• Critically analyse effective conflict resolution and workplace mediation
• Describe the emerging challenges to trade unions globally and in Africa

CONTENT:

Employee, Labour & Industrial Relations in Africa

• The context for employee & industrial relations
• Trade unionism in Nigeria – Past, Present & Future
• Survival/relevance of trade unions – tools for engagement
• Current Global trends in Employee & Industrial Relations
• The changing employment relationship and psychological contract

Negotiation Skills for Industrial Harmony

• A win-win approach to negotiation
• Stages of negotiation
• The Coleman Raider “bare-bones” model
• Exploring competition and cooperation
• Introduction to reframing techniques

Managing Conflict and Promoting Industrial Harmony

• Resolving and managing conflict
• Avoiding conflict escalation
• Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
• Understanding arbitration, conciliation, and mediation
• Workplace mediation techniques and skills

Key 2^nd Decade Issues for the Workplace

• Emerging workplace issues for ER/IR and Trade Unionists
• Understanding mental health in the workplace
• Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) techniques
• Workplace bullying – analysis, intervention and prevention
• The future of work – robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Flexible Firm

The Tools of Engagement

• Understanding transformational leadership
• The power of empathy
• Principles of engagement
• The importance of stakeholder engagement
• Personal action planning

FOR WHOM:

Executive Management, Human Resources Managers and Personnel, Admin Managers, Heads of Departments, Industrial Relations Managers, Safety Managers, Lawyers, Members of the Workers Unions and other Managers who perform related functions in both the Public and Private Sectors   

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

The training methodology combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result participant will go back to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned to their duties.