I appreciate that introducing a Trade Union into Emirates is
probably the last thing on the company’s agenda during these challenging times, but maybe it is not such a foolish idea.
Spotlights
are being focussed on the Emirates Group with increasing frequency and
intensity. The motives of those holding
the lights vary considerably, but it is clear that the standard Emirates
response (put on the sunglasses then, if that fails, smash the bulbs) no longer
works. Eventually, someone will realise
that it is finally time to communicate with those guiding the lights and to
have a close and open minded look at what is being illuminated. Once that is done, to enable the company to
survive going forward, a total shift of management ethos will be required. Most involved will feel the need to admit
that “we got it wrong” will be the toughest challenge, but far greater than
that will be how to open up channels of communication with those who really
matter – the staff. Those staff who, for
their entire careers in Emirates, have sensibly concluded that you only ever
tell your manager what s/he wants to hear.
Anything else is, at best, career limiting, but more likely career
terminating. Historically, managers in
Emirates normally have only asked staff for their opinions to check their
loyalty and compliance – a test rather than a quest. Assertions of “you can trust us now” will
merely be seen as a trap. Maybe an
intermediary such as a Trade Union would be able to help?
During my
lifetime I have gone round a few circles with my views on Trade Unions. In the UK in the 1960’s they were often
ridiculed, seemingly looking for the slightest excuse to down tools. By the early 1970’s many people thought they
had too much power and by the end of that decade pretty well everyone,
including some members of Trade Unions, knew they had too much power. Enter Margaret Thatcher. Whilst most people recognised the need for,
and applauded the result of, her strategy, they were dismayed by her methods
(and the resulting social impact) and then appalled as she subsequently took
steps (which thankfully failed) to ban Trade Unions in some arenas. For quite some time afterwards, the UK
employment environment seemed to provide a good model for everyone involved –
staff enjoyed protection, but companies were allowed to run their businesses
and communication within all industries improved dramatically. However, many feel that the balance has been
tipping in recent times, with workers’ protection progressively diminishing.
My own experiences with Trade Unions were mixed. I managed in all sorts of environments - non-union (by
employee choice), mixed union/non-union
and total union – and this
gave me forever changing perspectives.
As a manager, I finally concluded that, broadly, Unions were a waste of
time. But this only applied in
organisations where management and the HR department actually did the jobs that they were paid to do. Sadly, such organisations are becoming rare
and Emirates is light years away from such a position. If a company has a weak HR function, then
managers will be tempted to run riot and the company will need a Trade Union to
function effectively.
When I worked in the oil industry the production side
(refineries, etc.) was heavily unionised but less so the ‘white collar’
environment. The company was properly managed and the ideals of staff
involvement, communication, development, retention and motivation were embedded
in everyday life, not just words on recruitment material. Naturally the production side of the business
enjoyed the benefits of that
approach as much as the white collar areas
did, but the
physical environment did not generally lend itself to open discussion. Add into the mix the need for a huge focus on
safety, it was imperative that a comprehensive and forceful voice could be
presented to management regarding the serious issues of the day. Regardless of how professional and experienced a manager is, balancing the need to reduce costs with the
imperative of maintaining safety is never going to be easy. In an environment where the impact of an
operational accident is significant, there comes a time when that challenge
becomes potentially impossible. So, in
that industry, an independent voice and channel (via a Trade Union) for operational
staff was essential. A major incident at an oil refinery can be on
the same scale as an aviation disaster.
As
managers, there are times when we need to be ‘saved from ourselves’. My saviours were often colleagues in HR
departments and I was privileged to have worked with some excellent people over
the years. (This includes two HRM’s in
Emirates, though sadly both left the company some time ago). One of my favourite HR Directors used to say
“Yes, I can see what you are trying to achieve . . .” and then came the word
“but”! I think senior managers in
Emirates would have benefitted from that word “but” many times over the
years. However, this will not happen all
the time Emirates HR department is seen (both by the company and by itself)
solely as an administrative support function.
I cannot
say that I was ever ‘saved’ by a Trade Union representative. My HR colleagues were quite frankly streets
ahead of them when it came to people issues.
But I did value Union counsel when seeking staff views. I had worked in open management cultures for
many years, where everyone was comfortable with saying what they thought
without fear of incrimination. But
following company mergers, when I found myself leading teams who had previously
been managed more in the Emirates style (though nowhere near as extreme), it
would have been absurd to expect everyone to open up and trust me from day
one. Trust takes a long time to achieve
and probably becomes permanently unachievable if you ever say “you can trust
me”. But staff did (rightly) trust their
Union representative, so that was a useful route to find out what staff really
thought about matters. And naturally, as
trust was established between managers and Union representatives, that trust
permeated in all directions, to the benefit of everyone involved.
Until Emirates HR department becomes functional,
there is huge gap to fill if management, indeed the company,
is going to be saved from
itself. Here are a few examples where truly independent involvement would have helped:
The
overwhelming consensus is that the views expressed in the last staff survey were
extremely bad, but nobody really knows how bad they were. Eventually, a very brief communication was issued which
basically revealed nothing. Does anyone believe that any Trade Union would let a company get away with that? When a survey is commissioned staff will
participate, tell the truth and rightly
expect
to be given the results. How will Emirates, in the future, obtain information that can only be
obtained by a comprehensive staff survey?
Who will bother? Only those who
fear that non completion will result in a penalty will complete it. And if they have concluded that the survey is
not confidential, they will not relay any concerns they have. A Trade Union could have saved Emirates from
itself on this one. No matter how bad
the results were, the impact from publishing them would have not been as
negative as it has been by burying the exercise.
The ‘Truth
about Emirates Airline Management’ blog has been running for what seems like an
eternity. Those who initially asserted
‘ignore it, it will soon go away’ are looking rather silly now. With the existence of a Trade Union, that blog would
never have been initiated. If a Trade
Union were now to be introduced in Emirates, that blog would soon be taken
down. With a Trade Union in place, there
would never have been the need to record a meeting, as no manager would risk
such behaviour if they had to account to a Trade Union. Had there been an issue between the company
and an employee, a Union would have helped an appropriate and amicable way
forward to be reached. Had a genuine
impasse been reached regarding End of Service benefits, a Union would have
assisted with a solution. The need for
the ‘truth’ blog should never have arisen but, if the issues that prompted it
had somehow not been picked up, a Union would have insisted that action be
taken to have the blog removed. It is
not only the Emirates Group that is being exposed and made a laughing stock by
the ‘truth’ blog, staff members are impacted too. People want to be proud of the company they
work for, not ashamed of it. And there
must be many in Emirates who are concerned that they too may get a mention –
though this is probably a real benefit of the blog as managers who bully will
have certainly backed off in response to this particular spotlight. A Union would be able to force the advice
(that most people worked out over a year ago) onto Emirates management – stop
throwing bricks, go and talk to the lady with the lamp!
Major
tragic events in the aviation industry in the last few years have drawn the
travelling public to aviation forums and many will be alarmed at the increasing
swell of concern about the fitness of flight deck crew to operate safely. It is too easy to make arguments at the ends
of the scale – ‘lazy, overpaid prima donnas’ through to ‘so tired I cannot keep
awake’. The same goes for the ‘over
regulated’/ ‘under regulated’ arguments as well as the ‘ruthless profiteers’
versus the ‘hopelessly inefficient, but bailed out by government’ descriptions
of airlines. The travelling public can
only feel confident about what is a very complex equation, if they are certain
that the overall framework is comprehensive and constructed with firm and
independent parts. The public want to
have confidence that an airline encourages and reacts to staff (at all levels)
concerns, has an alternate and confidential route (such as via a Trade Union)
for such communication (should individuals prefer) and is regulated by a
genuinely independent official agency. A
cynic can always question the competence and the true independence of all those
involved, but what I have just described is a pretty robust and balanced
framework. But take away the Trade Union
and the structure loses its rigidity.
Regardless if it is true or not, what travellers are deducing from the
aviation forums at the moment is that the airlines and the regulator in the
Middle East are working hand in hand and that staff views, if heard at all, are
ignored. One picture currently being
presented is that if a member of Emirates flight deck crew has a concern about
safety, then their best chance of being listened to would be to contact either
a German Trade Union or a Russian news channel.
Would it not be better if s/he could talk to a Trade Union representing
staff in Emirates? I am sure if that
option were to be available, the public would feel more confident about flying
with Emirates.
I do
recognise that just to mention the words ‘Trade Union’ in Emirates could lead
to serious consequences, so maybe ‘Staff Association’ would be more
palatable. It would require a sea change
in management attitude, but anyone who believes that a sea change in management
attitude is not required in Emirates is a fool.
Membership could be optional, though most companies see the benefit of a
strong Union or Association, so actively encourage people to join. Individuals could then join and see if it
works for them.
And if they
don’t like it, they can leave!!
