How is a strike situation handled in an organisation?

When a strike takes place management representatives should not panic and take of unless there is threat of bodily injury.
• The Role of the Supervisor The supervisor should report immediately to his immediate superior or to the Line Manager. He should then ensure that all machinery is stopped where the employees have walked out of their work stations and try to safeguard the company’s property as appropriate. If no information has been passed on to management, the supervisor should try an
elicit any bit of information he can get either form the ordinary workers or form the shop stewards if the environment is conducive to such an action.
• The Role of the Line Manager Once it has been reported to the Line Manager
or he has found out that there is a strike, he should call the local labour officer
and union official. While waiting for their arrival, he may call in shop stewards, and request them to tell the employees to resume work and have their grievances settled in the normal way. Should this fail then he is to ensure, as far as is practicable, that the company’s property is safe and wait for the labour officer and union official. It is also necessary to inform his superiors of the position and to seek any advice he may need form the Personnel Department on how to proceed. Similar advice should besought form the FKE and/or a Trade Association if any, and invite them whenever necessary to participate in any deliberations. The Line Manager should be fully responsible for the situation and should not try to take shortcuts by calling in the police and the administration to end the strike. This is escapism and should not
happen at all.
• The Role of the Personnel Department The personnel Department should once it is informed of the situation, advises the Line Manager on how to proceed and if they are in close proximity, attend to the place of the Strike.
More often than not, the staffs of the personnel department are more knowledgeable about industrial relations matters than the Line Manager, and they must involve themselves immediately.
• The Role of the Labour Office The Labour Officer, who is a Government representative, should try and conciliate the parties i.e. the employer and the Union to bring about an agreement and end the strike. The Labour Officer will try and make whatever proposals he may to end the strike some of which may not be in the best interests of the employer. He should not compel any
party to take a certain course of action but his role should be purely advisory.
• The Role of the Trade Union The trade union is the employees’ representative. It will more often than not take the side of the employees in trying to justify their action. The importance of its presence is that it will negotiate with the employer on how the strike should be ended. Reality may not necessarily be their guide especially so where they find out that the grounds for the strike is not strong enough. They will probably try to introduce other issues
to back up the employees’ action.
• The Role of the Federation of Kenya Employers The Federation is the umbrella employer’s trade union. It is important to consult the Federation and seek advise and if possible ask that a representative be sent to assist.
• Significance of a Return to Work Formula Where a strike does not break immediately, a meeting is necessarily held between the local labour officer, the employer and the union. This would entail negotiating an agreement to break or end the strike. This agreement is commonly referred to as “a Return to Work Formula”. At this stage, the mot important thing is to end the strike
and resume work and care should be taken for parties not to involve themselves with settling grievances. Note may be taken for parties not to involve themselves with settling grievances. Note may be taken of the employees ‘grievances/disputes but their resolution should be spared for another forum.

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Titany answered the question on December 3, 2021 at 07:59