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For example, there were massive job cuts and low income wages in comparison to other employees who had organized unions. In the course of trying to maximize employee’s productivity as minimal cost, the management resulted in recruiting minorities and women (Nkomo, Fottler & McAfee, 2010). Such a move was quite cunning on the part of management and attracted the attention of ACTWU. Besides empowering SGA’s employees, ACTWU also wanted to bring together all employees in the textile industry under their banner.
There is power in numbers and since SGA was not under them, it was proving hard to implement changes in the sector. Many of industrial changes come through hard fought negotiations with managements of companies which can be made uniform across the landscape. In the case of SGA, the management was making unilateral decisions which only favored the company and impeded upon the rights of the employees (Logan, 2002). With one voice, it would become relatively easy for ACTWU to make changes within the textile industries which would bring balance in terms of power distribution between employers and employees.
SGA's strategy in managing the representation campaign SGA’s strategy to thwart organizing efforts on its employees was to influence and change their perceptions on the unionization. This strategy was implemented through various ways which were very convincing. The first place that the management targeted was the community within the vicinity of the industry where they held meetings with religious and business leaders. In these meetings, the SGA’s was keen on securing the support of the local people by alluding to the support extended by the industry towards them.
To further support their proposal against organizing efforts, the management claimed that all they needed is team spirit. The team spirit would be sufficient to thwart off stiff competition emanating from hosiery imports (Nkomo, Fottler & McAfee, 2010). SGA’s strategy also used direct appeal to the employees themselves through various means. The chairman and owner of the industry made many ominous trips to the factory where they met and shook hands with their employees. In these trips, the management tried to get in touch with realities of any problems that the employees might have been having.
Besides, meeting the employees personally, the workers’ notice boards were filled with anti-union notices and literature for everyone to read. In these tours by the management, there were compulsory meetings of all employees which were carried on company’s time. The most demeaning strategy was through intimidation which was propagated through a letter that the chairman of the industry send to all employees. This letter contained a threat of foreclosure of the industry (Nkomo, Fottler & McAfee, 2010).
Unfair Labor Practice Charges on SGA Management for Their Campaign Strategy One of the unfair labor practices (ULP) that SGA management may be sued or charged for is the interference into the efforts by unions to organize its employees. This is usually forbidden by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Although this charge is hard to prove, most employers routinely coerce and dissuade their employees from joining unions (Mehta & Theodore, 2005). This is often propagated through subtle threats that are hard to prove but nonetheless are intimidations geared towards thwarting unionizing efforts.
The law is very clear whereby
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