09/08/2021
Mission
Our mission is to recruit, organize and unionize institutional and household workers together with their employers to improve employment relations, job security, employee productivity and employment benefits. We aim to settle labour disputes and to educate both employer and employee on their human and labour rights.
Vision
We foresee a healthy work environment among our members. We foresee a workforce that is not dependant on their salaries and foresee an economically and law wise Namibia.
Working with UIHENI to improve worker’s conditions: Benefits for employers and employees
This briefing outlines some of the ways in which the union works with employers to improve conditions for workers and the business benefits of joint working.
Who is UIHENI?
An independent, membership-based organisations of workers that represent and negotiate on behalf of working people. We give advice when workers have problems at work, help improve wages and working conditions by negotiating with employers, and make sure that our members’ legal rights are enforced.
Working with UIHENI can bring many benefits to workers, in particular, we can help companies to:
• Build trust among the workforce.
• We provide a mechanism for dialogue between workers and employers, which helps build trust and commitment among the workforce and ensures that problems can be identified and resolved quickly and fairly. This brings significant productivity benefits for companies.
• Recognising us also means there is a single point of contact for negotiating terms and conditions for workers, which is simpler, more efficient for the employer and fairer than dealing with workers individually.
• Ensure workplaces are safe.
• Our representation help to lower accident rates at work by ensuring safe working practices and reducing stress-related ill health caused by, for example, working long hours, being bullied or working in poor quality environments. Evidence shows that unionised workplaces are safer workplaces1 – which has the added benefit for employers of significantly reducing the costs of ill health and accidents.
• We are well placed to work with employers to identify and address poor working practices and non-compliance with labour standards.
• By surveying our members living and working conditions about their workplace conditions, coordinating workers to monitor workplace practices, and providing a safe route for workers to report non-compliance, we can help employers achieve more than traditional audit and social compliance approaches, thus reducing dependence on social audit.
• Improve staff retention. We negotiate on our members’ behalf with employers to find solutions that meet business needs, while ensuring that workers are treated fairly. By giving employees a voice and supporting them when they are unhappy at work, we significantly improve staff retention and reduce absenteeism.
• Improved working conditions in unionised workplaces also give our members a powerful incentive to remain in their jobs for longer, and to use their time at work more productively.
• Make better business decisions. Because we represent workers from a large number of similar organisations, they have a broad perspective on issues affecting companies and industry knowledge that can be very useful to companies.
• Informing and consulting with us can also help companies take better-informed business decisions, for example in relation to shift patterns or the type of equipment to invest in.
• Promote equality. We actively fight discrimination and help to promote equal opportunities at work. Our representatives are well placed to identify incidences of discrimination, and to work with employers to ensure that anti-discrimination policies are properly implemented. This helps make workplaces more attractive to workers – improving staff retention, absenteeism and productivity – as well as reducing management time spent addressing grievances.
HOMEWORKER BRIEFING
• We provide access to learning and skills. Helping members to access education and training is a key priority for us. Research shows that our recognition has a consistently positive effect on the amount and range of training that is provided to employees. In turn, higher skilled employees bring productivity benefits for employers.
• Save money. Early identification of problems in the workplace can lead to significant savings, for example by reducing the costs employers face as a result of accidents, ill health and staff turnover. We have a strong record of working with employers to identify efficiencies and cost savings – both employers and employees have a shared interest in business success.
• Increase productivity. We help build high-trust workplaces where workers are healthier, better skilled and more able to resolve grievances – all of which lead to a more committed and productive workforce. We can also help maintain productivity during periods of employer innovation – by providing ways of consulting with workers over change and reducing the chances of staff resistance.
How UIHENI can help improve conditions for workers
Our wide-ranging skills and experience mean that they are well-placed to help companies with particularly challenging workforce issues, such as how to ensure good working conditions for workers. In particular, we can work collaboratively with employers and employees to:
• Identify where workers are present. Good relationships with workers and wider industry knowledge means that our representatives are well equipped to work with employers to map supply chains and identify where workers may be used.
• Identify poor working conditions. Ou representatives are well placed to identify where working conditions and practices for workers fall short of best practice standards. For example, they can ask workers about their working conditions and provide a safe route for workers to report violations of labour standards without fear of reprisal.
• Develop ways of addressing poor homeworking conditions. We are a good source of information on workplace practices, and can work with employers to develop effective ways to address non-compliances and implement strategies to improve performance.
• Monitor working practices and codes of labour practice. We can play a key part in monitoring and enforcing labour standards, for example by surveying workers to identify non- compliances and the effectiveness of policies and procedures.
• Organise and represent workers. In some cases, we may be able to work with communities of workers to enable them collectively represent their concerns to employees and employers.
