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Confident of packing a punch... Family at heart of the busines... Cardboard cores could open doors for Fra... Pay-back time for loyal shareholders... |
Trust the way to avoid strikes
TRANSPACO is proud of its strike-free record. While other companies became embroiled in intractable labour disputes recently, Transpaco has maintained a brisk and open dialogue with its 250 workers. The fact that it has managed to avoid disruptive strike action is due, in part, to its aggressive commitment to affirmative action, says the company. At its Plastafrica plant in Wynberg all the factory line managers are black, as is the senior factory manager. Staff benefits are generous relative to other packaging firms. Workers are entitled to participate in the company housing scheme, bursaries are available for staff to put themselves or their children through school and higher education, and training programmes ensure that no staff member is denied access to promotion and improved skills. "We subscribe to affirmative action by making opportunities available for all staff to improve their skills level and seek promotion throughout the organisation," says managing director Phillip Abelheim. "There are no glass ceilings here to stop those who really seek to advance themselves. But we understand that affirmative action is meaningless unless you back up the promise of improved opportunities with the correct training." The secret to a harmonious labour relations record is fostering a good working relationship with worker representatives and resolving workplace problems as they occur, says Abelheim. "Workers expect management to keep its word and this we have done by adopting a flexible attitude to worker issues." There has not been a single strike in the group's history, bar a stayaway in the mid-1980s over non-work related issues.
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