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DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Research Topic

The role of employment councils in dispute resolution. A case of Mbada Diamonds.

NAME: NYASHA MANGOMBE

REG NO” R143437P

SUPERVISOR: MR BHEBHE

M.O.E CONVENTIONAL

LEVEL: 2.2

MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

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DEFINITION OF TERMS.

Employment Councils-these are bodies that represents either the employer or the employee in

dispute resolution or in addressing the interests of the parties in employment relationship

Unions Act (Cap.233). They include National Employment Councils, Workers Councils and

Employers Councils.

Dispute Resolution-is a term that refers to a number of processes that can be used to resolve a

conflict, dispute or claim (John Burton 1997

List of abbreviations or acronyms

CBAs.............................................................................Collective Bargaining Agreements

DA..................................................................................Designated Agents

ECs..................................................................................Employment Councils

ILO..................................................................................International Labour Organizations

LRA.................................................................................Labour Relations Act

MSU.................................................................................Midlands State University

NGOs................................................................................Non-Governmental Organizations

NEC...................................................................................National Employment Councils

ZDMWU.............................................................................Zimbabwe Diamond Mines

Workers Unions

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Introduction.

Conflict is inherent to all relationships, whether individual or organizational. A cost effective

conflict/dispute resolution framework, must therefore be inplace,valuable time and money

may otherwise be wasted fighting over preventable disputes. One of the problem objective of

the Labor Relations Act (LRA),1995, was the cost effective resolution of disputes. To realise

this objective, the National Employment Council (NEC) has been created to handle statutory

dispute resolution process.

The history of the conflictual relationship between master and servant dates back to ancient

times. The industrial revolution further polarised the class interests of the privileged owners

of the means of production and the less fortunate providers of labour. Because of these

conflicting interests, industrial disputes became inevitable. However, the privileged status of

owners of capital put them in a more advantageous position that enabled them to subjugate

the workers. Power of this class was exercised through the manipulation of the ‘stick and

carrot’ technique as well as the court system, which for all intents and purposes, represented

the voice of capital. The system of colonialism also perpetuated the stratification system that

favoured the owners of capital. In the colonised territories, the court system was used more as

an instrument of civilised repression than as a fountain of justice. As a result, it could not be

relied upon by the working class. However, the twin developments of the unionisation and

employment Councils (ECs) of the labour force and the international democratisation of

workplaces gave impetus to a reordering of industrial relations. These developments

significantly leveraged the influence of labour and empowered its voice in employment

relationships.

Background of study.

According to Section 62 of the Labor Act Chapter 28:01 states the duties of the employment

councils as follows: it assists its members in the conclusion of collective bargaining

agreements or otherwise prevent disputes from arising, or settle disputes that have arisen or

may arise between employers and employee organizations on one hand or employees,

workers committee or trade unions on the other and shall take such steps as it may concede

expedient to bring about regulation or settlement of matters of mutual interest to such persons

or bodies, take such steps as it may consider expedient to ensure that any collective

bargaining and any regulations pertaining to an undertaking or industry with which it is

concerned is being observed.

Also the employment councils have got many and different roles which includes application

of equity, direct participation and communication between disputants, they can support and

implement court reform, they can bypass ineffective or discredited courts, they can provide

efficient and satisfactory dispute resolution in highly technical and specialised areas and they

can reduce the formality of the legal process just to mention a few. Also they can act as

mediators and arbitrators.

On the application of equity, the employment council’s programmes are instruments for the

application of equity rather than the rule of law. Each case is decided by a third party, or

negotiated between disputants themselves, based on principles and terms that seem equitable

in the particular case, rather than on uniformly applied legal standards. ECs systems cannot

be expected to establish legal precedent or implement changes in legal and social norms. ECs

systems tend to achieve efficient settlements at the expense of consistent and uniform justice.

In large mines where large parts of the population do not receive any real measure of justice

under the formal legal system, the drawbacks of an informal approach to justice may not

cause significant concern. Furthermore, the overall system of justice can mitigate the

problems by ensuring that disputants have recourse to formal legal protections if the result of

the informal system is unfair, and by monitoring the outcomes of the informal system to test

for consistency and fairness.

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Employment Councils programs can reduce the level of tension and prevent conflict in a

community. ECs systems may be designed to have an impact on the level of social tension

and latent conflict, as well as on individual disputes. The focus of these systems is somewhat

different from the programs normally designed for rule of law projects. For example, conflict

prevention efforts generally focus more on public conflicts (ethnic tensions, resource

allocation, policy issues, etc.) rather than private disputes. They may also focus on public

education, early intervention in potentially explosive conflict, and outside intervention by

third parties. Many of the NGOs established to promote conflict management in Chiyadzwa

prior to the transition of power were explicitly created with the goal of managing tension and

fostering peaceful mechanisms for social transformation. Although many observers believe

these efforts had a positive impact on the culture and contributed to the peaceful transition,

the direct impact of these programs on the overall level of violence and tension in the

community is difficult to assess. Although the level of tension remains high, these efforts

have been credited by the international community with reducing the potential for conflict. At

Mbada Diamonds there were tension between the mine and the community and soldiers were

employed guarding premises.

Moving on, Employment Councils programmes can reduce the cost of resolving disputes.

Many ECs programs are designed with a goal of reducing the cost of resolving disputes both

to the disputants and to the dispute resolution system (Trudeau 2002) and (Shen 2006),.

Nevertheless, the experience of at least some of the EC systems implemented in most mines

indicates that cost reduction is a reasonable goal for ECs systems, and that well-designed

systems can effectively meet this goal. Many other EC programs seem to be successful in

reducing the cost of dispute resolution and providing access to justice for the poor. Most

programs operate with only a modest fee, either because they are managed by volunteers or

because they are supported by

Government or donor funds. Also Many poor are denied access simply because they cannot

afford to pay the registration and representation fees necessary to enter the formal legal

system. Since cost is probably the largest barrier to formal dispute resolution for many people

in mining sector, Workers councils come into existence to assist these.

Employment Councils may act as arbitrators. Arbitration is one of the various methods of

dispute resolution but undoubtedly the most popular. It is defined in the Halsbury’s Laws of

England as “the reference of a dispute or difference between not less than two parties for

determination, after hearing both sides in a judicial manner, by a person or persons other than

a court of competent jurisdiction. Arbitration is a procedure whereby a third party (individual

arbitration board of Arbitrator or arbitration court), not acting as a court of law, is empowered

to take a decision which disposes of the dispute(Wendy 2002). It usually involves contested

Hearing at which the party’s present evidence and argument to a third party, Followed

by that arbitrator's decision or award, which is usually binding on the Parties. If you have

a complaint that will go through arbitration, it generally means that it will not be heard by a

court or a jury. Instead, your complaint will be heard by a neutral third party called the

arbitration-these are generally retired judges or attorneys. This person is hired either

individually or through an arbitration service to hear both sides of the case and make a

decision. Because you signed the employment arbitration agreement, the decision of the

arbitrator is generally binding on both you and your employer thereby making it a drawback

of arbitrators by employees and employers.

Also they act as mediators. Parties to a dispute seek mediation when they are ready to discuss

a dispute openly and honestly. Usually in a dispute, there are varying degrees of interests and

concerns therefore it is usual that a trade off may be made in a creative manner which a court

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may not consider. The underlying factor in mediation is that the parties have bargaining

power and that a continuing relationship is essential after the dispute therefore trial is to be

avoid

In view of the factors recounted above, a neutral party, the mediator, is brought in to help the

parties find a solution to a dispute. The person controls the process while the parties control

the outcome. A mediator cannot impose a decision on the parties. In a typical mediation

session, the mediator opens the session by declaring how the session will run, who will speak,

when, for how long and the length of the session. The parties are requested to confirm their

good faith and trust in the process and to agree that all that will be said will be confidential

and therefore inadmissible in any subsequent proceeding. After this, parties take turn to state

their views of the dispute. The mediator asks for clarification as may be necessary. If

necessary, the mediator may meet with the parties separately in a confidential caucus to

assess position, identify real interest, consider alternatives or help generate a possible

solution. This is called shuttle mediation. The process may involve several sessions before a

solution is arrived at. Mediation may be of different types but three popular variations are the

rights based mediation which focuses on legal rights of the parties, the interest based

mediation which focuses on the interests and compelling issues of the dispute and therapeutic

mediation which focuses on the problem solving ability of the parties or the emotional

aspects of the dispute.

Moving on, another role of employment councils is that, they provide direct participation and

communication between disputants. Other characteristics of EC systems include more direct

participation by the disputants in the process and in designing settlements, more direct

dialogue and opportunity for reconciliation between disputants, potentially higher levels of

Confidentiality since public records are not typically kept, more flexibility in designing

creative settlements, less power to subpoena information, and less direct power of

enforcement ( Gwisai 2007).

Employment councils can by-pass ineffective or discredited courts. When the civil court

system has so many institutional weaknesses and failures (inadequate resources, corruption,

systemic bias) that there is no near-term prospect of successful civil court reform, EC

programs may be an appropriate way to provide an alternative forum. Also working with or

within the existing judicial system is unlikely to be effective or receive popular support and

complex or technical disputes can be handled more effectively by specialized private EC

systems.

Workers Councils may increase satisfaction of disputants with outcomes. When evaluations

of EC systems have included an assessment of overall user satisfaction, the EC systems have

generally compared favourably to formal legal structures. At Mbada Diamonds, for example,

satisfaction with the Mediation Board system is quite high. In addition to the accessibility of

the system, and the low cost, disputants indicate that the way they are treated, the disputants'

control of the process, and the community-based nature of the system are all factors leading

to high satisfaction. Satisfaction is also reflected in the settlement and compliance rates.

Nearly 65% of all mediated cases are settled, and compliance rates, while not accurately m

measured, are reported to be quite high. The chairman of one Mediation Board indicated that

compliance with debtor dispute settlements, which constitute a large proportion of the cases,

is nearly 95%. The monthly caseload of the Boards more than doubled between the first and

third years of operation, indicating high satisfaction.

As mentioned earlier on, the employment councils comprises of the National Employment

council(NEC). These are representative bodies of employer and employee organizations.

They are also known as industrial councils and have been in existence since 1934 in some

cases they were named bargaining councils. The NEC is made up of structures namely

counsil,the executive comitee,negotiating comitee,and a local joint committee.

Bargaining Councils are joint employer and union bargaining institutions whose functions

and powers are set out in the Labour Relations Act(LRA). One of the LRA’s main objectives

is to promote collective bargaining as a means of regulating relations between management

and labour and as a means of settling disputes between them. A Bargaining Council has the

responsibility to resolve disputes between parties that arise from the collective agreements

concluded in the council and other statutory instruments. Bargaining Council agreements deal

with issues such as minimum wages, hours of work, overtime, leave pay, notice periods, and

retrenchment pay. A bargaining council does not need to be accredited to perform dispute

resolution services regarding parties to that council. According to Brand (2002) There are

many Bargaining Councils here in Zimbabwe. Their jurisdiction may be sectoral, regional or

industry wide and hence they vary in size and quality of dispute resolution. One of the main

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criticisms aimed at bargaining councils is that they are fragmented in nature and poorly

resourced.

However, certain Collective Bargaining Agreements for specific sectors have developed

structures that include Exemptions Committees, Job Evaluation Committees, etc. Key to

these structures are Designated Agents (DA) who may be conciliators and arbitrators

responsible for resolving disputes in their particular industry in terms of provisions envisaged

in Sections 63 and 98 of the Labour Act (Cap 28:01)

During the 1980s, the industrial relations system in Zimbabwe envisaged Employment

Boards, which were under the supervision of Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social

Welfare. During this period, the minister by way Statutory Instruments, used to gazette

minimum wage notices in respect of any class of employees in any class or industry and

would prohibit the payment of any wage less than such specified minimum wages, benefits or

increments to such class of employees. This later changed during the 1990s when

Employment Boards were turned into Employment Councils, the main reason being that the

Ministry of Labour deemed it expedient to devolve powers on collective bargaining to

specific constituencies. Ideally, the main objective was to empower Zimbabwean employer

organisations and trade unions to manage their own affairs, which brought about consistency

between the Zimbabwe Labour Act and International Labour Conventions (ILO), which

Zimbabwe ratified. To date, there are 48 National Employment Councils in Zimbabwe.

Section 65 (5) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act 2013 stipulates that:

“Except for members of the security services, every employee, employer, trade union and

employee or employer’s organisation has the right to engage in Collective Bargaining”.

The Labour Act Chapter 28:01 makes provision for Voluntary Employment Councils and

Statutory Employment Councils under Sections 56 and 57 respectively. In the former, any

employer, registered employer’s organisation or federation of such organisations and

registered trade union or federation of such trade unions may at any time form an

employment council by signing a constitution agreed to by them for the governance of the

council, and by applying for its registration in terms of Section 59 of the Act. Under the

latter, the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare may whenever the national

interest so demands, request any registered employers’ organisation or federation of such

organisations and registered trade union to form an employment council and apply for its

registration in terms of Section 59 of the Labour Act.

Once an employment council is formed, the law requires the employment council to have a

constitution which provides for among other things, a statement of the aims and objectives of

the council and that the registered trade union concerned or federation of such trade unions to

appoint 50 percent of the members of the employment council and the employers’

organisation concerned or federation of such organisations to appoint the remaining

members. The constitution should also provide for dues which are payable to the employment

council thereof and the administration of the funds of the employment council.

The scope of collective bargaining agreements negotiated by registered trade unions,

employers or registered federations is specified in Section 74 of the Labor Act, Chapter

28:01. In most cases, Collective Bargaining Agreements which are administered by National

Employment Councils make provision for the following: rates of remuneration and minimum

wages for different grades and types of occupations, benefits for employees, deductions

which an employer may make from employees’ wages, including deductions for membership

fees and union dues, and deductions which an employer may be required or permitted by law

or by order of any competent court to make, methods of calculating, or factors for adjusting

rates of pay, and the dates, times and modes of payment, all issues pertaining to overtime,

piece-work, periods of vacation and vacation pay and constraints thereon, the demarcation of

the appropriate categories and classes of employment and their respective functions, the

conditions of employment for apprentices, the number of hours of work and the times of

work with respect to all or some of the employees, the requirements of occupational safety,

the maintenance of, and access by the parties to, records of employment and pay, procedure

for dealing with disputes within an undertaking or industry, housing and transport facilities or

in their absence, an allowance for the same and measures to combat workplace violence and

handling its aftermath.

National Employment councils may provide efficient and satisfactory resolution in highly

technical, specialized areas. Specialized ECs programs focused on particular types of

technical or complex disputes can be more effective and produce better settlements than

courts. In the mining sector, specialized EC programs deal with construction, environmental,

and patent disputes, among others. These programs act as substitutes for the courts, which

may not have the expertise necessary to make the best decisions.

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Employment Councils may increase access to justice for disadvantaged groups. Use of formal

court systems requires resources unavailable to sectors of the population, formal court

systems are biased against women, minorities, or other groups, illiteracy prevents part of the

Population from using formal court systems and distance from the courts impairs effective

use for rural populations. Also disadvantaged groups need to establish rights in order to

reduce power imbalances, local elites have the power to control program implementation, and

number of barriers to access to the justice system can be addressed effectively in an EC

programme.

Employment Councils may helps in counteracting discrimination and bias in the mining

sector. When courts are systematically biased against particular groups, such as minorities or

women, EC programs can sometimes help provide some measure of justice. At Mbada

Diamonds, for example, women are often poorly protected by the courts. The NEC program

has recruited women to serve on mediation panels in the village mediation program. Women

who have used the system believe that they receive better protection and more compensation

from this system than from the formal court system.

EC programs can reduce delay in the resolution of disputes. Delays are endemic in most court

systems throughout the world and affect a number of development objectives. In some

cases, delays are so extreme that they effectively deny justice, particularly to disadvantaged

groups who may not be able to "grease the wheels" of the justice system. In other cases,

delays in the resolution of commercial disputes impair economic development and undermine

the efficiency of the economy. Informal dispute resolution (mediation and settlement

programs), or simplified procedures for dispute resolution (arbitration systems), can

significantly reduce dispute resolution delay, and indirectly reduce court backlog by

redirecting cases that would otherwise go to court.

ECs facilitate in negotiating about the wages and the granting of packages and retrenchment.

For example at Mbada diamonds where one quoted saying ‘’We are challenging the

termination, it’s unlawful. We are also taking up the issue of non-payment of salaries with the

National Employment Council for the Mining Industry,” ZDMWU general secretary Justice

Chinhema said in a telephone interview on Tuesday . Also ECs helps in promoting healthy

and safety at workplace. The National Employment Council ensures that all workers at

Mbada Diamonds are wearing protective Clothes.

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Problem Statement

The current dispute resolution stages are free up to arbitration level. A tendancy has emerged

whereby employer and employee organizations regard internal processes as a mere formality.

This has resulted in unnecessary dispute referrals, which translates into significant costs for

the bargaining counsils and the department as a result of system abuse. More effort therefore

needs to be made to prevent grievances from escalating into full disputes.

Certain problem areas are currently thwarting efforts to prevent avoidable disputes from

arising. Formost is the lack of ownership by parties over dispute resolution and the

resultantrise in case load and costs. There is also the low dispute resolution/settlement rate

where the conciliation stage being a mere formality. There is also a lack of worldclass dispute

prevention and management systems. Insome instances,responsible line managers lack formal

delagations to deal effectively with grievances as they arise. The labor relations officers are

being deployed as peace makers and disciplinary and this resulted in conflicting roles

impacting negatively on dispute prevention and resolution. The criteria for promotion,

whether it is based on performance or political correctness, have caused management

paralysis as individuals opt to stay on the safe side.

Arguing the same point, Venter (2006:p.1) maintains that the criticism of the dispute-

resolution institution relates to their inefficient operation, poor skills, lack of resources and

abuse by disputing parties.

Research Objectives

Main Objective

To asses the role employment councils in dispute resolution in a mining sector.

Specific Objective

(1) To examine the effectiveness of employment councils in dispute resolution

(2) To establish a perceived influence of employment councils on employees terms and

conditions of service employment.

(3) To determine the reason behind poor dispute resolution system in a mining sector

(4) To recommend a cost effective dispute resolution model.

Justification of Study

The study is significant to policy makers as it will provide insight information on the

perceived influence of the employment councils in (dispute resolution)/ championing for

continued improvement of terms and conditions of service for employees. Additionally, the

findings will enable employment councils on employees’ terms and conditions of service for

reasonable Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). The findings will also strengthen the

relationship between the employer and employee during Collective Bargaining Agreements

negotiations.

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Conceptual Framework.

The right to resort collective job action. Subject to this Act, all employement counsils,

Workers‟ Committees and Trade Unions shall have the right to resort to collective job action

to resolve disputes of interest (Cheeter 1991). Subject to subsection (4), no employees,

workers‟ committee, trade union, employer, employers‟ organisation or federation shall

resort to collective job action unless- fourteen days‟ written notice of intent to resort to such

action, specifying the grounds for the intended action, has been given— to the party against

whom the action is to be taken; and to the appropriate employment council; and to the

appropriate trade union or employers‟ organisation or federation in the case of members of a

trade union or employers organisation or federation partaking in a collective job action where

the trade union or employers organisation or federation is not itself resorting to such action;

and An attempt has been made to conciliate the dispute and a certificate of no settlement has

been issued in terms of section ninety three. That the respondents had the right to withdraw

their labour is, therefore, beyond question. That right must, however, be exercised within the

parameters set out in the Act. It is not disputed that no notice was given to the appellant of the

impending strike or that no attempt had been made to conciliate the dispute as required by

subs 2(b) of s 104. In the circumstances the collective job action was unlawful by reason of

its non-compliance with s104. The Labour Court made no finding on the lawfulness or

otherwise of the collective job action in which the respondents had participated. It ought to

have done so and the failure so to do was a misdirection on its part.

The labour union representing sacked Mbada Diamonds workers has appealed to the

National Employment Council for the mining industry to mediate in the dispute, calling

dismissals ‘unlawful.’ The Zimbabwe Diamond Miners Workers Union (ZDMWU) wants the

NEC to mediate in the case of 159 of the 240 Mbada workers who were fired after going on

strike over non-payment of salaries. The workers were part of a group of 300 who downed

tools demanding to be paid outstanding salaries for eight months. About 240 were rendered

jobless after the company responded by terminating contracts that were expiring in June2014.

However, officials said the terminations were a security measure used in the diamond mining

sector to minimise potential losses. “Workers whose contracts are coming to an end are a

security risk in that they could steal (diamonds). The idea of having them serve their notice

period at home is to minimise such risk,” said an official familiar with the diamond mining

operations, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak for the company

.ZDMWU wrote to the NEC appealing for conciliation on behalf 159 workers it is

representing. The union said failing to pay salaries of workers was a violation of the labour

law which makes it an offence for a company to fail to meet its obligations to workers and

gives them the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Earlier, the union had also written to the

NEC over non-payment of wages and reduction of period of contracts to six months which it

deemed an unfair labour practice. This shows that NEC acts as bargaining in the resolution of

disputes of salaries at Mbada Diamonds.

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Research Methodology

Research Design

This study adopted a survey research design because of the nature of institutions under study

where they hold information with high degree of confidentiality. This design is appropriate in

gathering information from a cross section of respondents. Further the survey approach

assisted in data collection and data analysis. This design is appropriate for profiling, defining,

segmentation, estimating, predicting, and examining associative relationships.

The triangulation of qualitative and quantitative approaches in this was considered so as to

ensure that the limitations of one approach will be covered by the strength of another. This

approach used questionnaires, interviews, and secondary data analysis and field observations.

This study design is basically a cross sectional study. A cross sectional study is a descriptive

study in which a population or a subset is selected and from these individuals, data are

collected to help answer research questions of interest (James, 1994). This research is called

cross sectional because the information about evaluation of the role of employment councils

in dispute resolution was gathered, represented on what was going on at a particular point on

time. The advantage of this design is that it does require follow-up and is therefore less costly

and quicker than other designs. Another important point to note is that the data obtained often

representative of a population rather than a smaller sub-population. A retrospective record of

past events was reviewed which showed leading, lagging and performance indicators.

Target Population

According to Drunker (2000), population is defined as the collection of elements or subjects

that possess the information sought by researcher and about which inference are to be made

in this case, I was concerned with evaluation of the role of employment councils in dispute

resolution in the case of Mbada Diamonds. Mugenda & Mugenda (2003) define population

as a complete set of individuals, cases or objects with some common observable

characteristics.

Sources of Data

I used self-administered questionnaire as research tool to collect data from the respondents.

This approach is consistent with a phenomenological approach and it is the most appropriate

for this research because it enabled the researcher to collect as more data as possible. Primary

data was collected.

The questionnaire comprised of both closed and open ended questions which i drawn in

accordance with the set objectives of the study. They were used as a tool to collect data as

they are appropriate to collect a lot of information over a short period of time. The study used

primary data which i obtained through self-administered questionnaires with closed and

open-ended questions . As much as possible, a 5-point likert scale was used to collect the

data. The questionnaire was divided into three sections. Section one was concerned with the

general information about respondents. Section two contained questions on the terms of

service and section three contained questions on job security. The questionnaire was

administered through drop and pick.

Research Instruments

i.Questionnaires

Farrant (1980) defined a questionnaire as an instrument that serves to measure specific

aspects of researcher’s objectives. This is supported by Gwimbi and Dirwai (2003:69) that

the purpose of a questionnaire is to collect accurate and appropriate information from

respondents. The questionnaire is designed to include both quantitative and qualitative data

because of the nature of the project. The questionnaire included both open-ended and closed

ended question so as to get further details of and greater depth, which goes beyond just

description from closed ended questions. The questionnaire was designed in such a way that

the questions were clear and unambiguous, short, avoided unnecessary jargon and specialist

language. The questionnaire was structured in such a way that it was easy and quick to

answer. Most of the questions only required a tick in the appropriate box. The questionnaires

targeted the bigger sized sample of organizations. A total of 172 questionnaires were

distributed. I chose to administer the questionnaires to a sample of 25% of the organization.

Stratified sampling will be used in organizations which have more than 10 workers.

The researcher used purposive sampling whereby he gave questionnaires to respondents

whom he found at the premises each time he visited their work stations. The i requested for

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all the number of workers from each department and used purposive sampling to administer

the questionnaire to workers whom i found at the site. Workers were stratified according to

operating sub-sections in the mine for example Boilermakers, Fitters, Electricians, Artisan

Assistants, Civil Technicians, Riggers and Artisan Assistants. This ensured representation of

all workers within Mbada Diamonds. Since all the respondents were within the mine, the

researcher collected all responds to the questionnaires within a week. . The questionnaire had

sub headings which corresponded with the objectives of the study

Advantage of Questionnaire

A questionnaire is easy to administer (can be mailed or hand-delivered) and it can be

administered in a relaxed atmosphere. Respondents were given ample time to respond to

questions at their convenience and in this way meaningful and well thought information was

solicited. Ensuring the validity of the data gathered.

Disadvantages of Questionnaire

The questionnaire does not have direct control over the respondents and some subjects may

fail to complete thus leading to a low response rate. Furthermore, the researcher will not be

available to answer to queries and this may lead to poor quality responses, thus reducing

sample size and introducing bias

Semi Structured Interviews

Structured interactive interviews were used as a way collecting data. Harper, (1991), defined

interviews as a method of collecting data asking personally for the required information. Data

collecting techniques of interviewing involved oral questioning of respondents. Interviews

were undertaken with all the key informants within the mine operations. The researcher made

appointments over the phone with all the key informants to no when the researcher could

come and interview them.

Secondary Data

Data was acquired through secondary sources that include company records, safety statistics,

alcohol tests, road behaviour checks, peer to peer observations, planned job observations and

visible felt leadership observations. These documents enabled the researcher to identify the

company’s lagging and leading indicators. Furthermore, secondary data provides a good

background, as it is existing literature around the topic. This is supported by Hakim (1982)

who argued that in answering research questions or meeting their objectives few researchers

considered the possibility of re-analyzing data that have already been collected for other

purpose. Secondary data also facilitated appropriate scoping of the later stages of the site

investigation. It also reduced wastage on inappropriate intrusive ground investigations.

Ethical Consideration

Permission to conduct this study in the selected area was granted by Midlands State

University and Senior Mine Management. The contractors’ who were interviewed were given

an explanation of what the research is about and what role they were playing in the research

if they agreed to participate. The fact that i administered the questionnaire face to face with

the respondent made it easier for the contractors’ to trust the intentions of the research.

Therefore verbal informed consent was obtained from the respondents before administering

of a questionnaire. Respondents were also informed that their participation in the research is

entirely voluntary and their responses are purely for academic purposes. No names of

contractor companies and names of interviewees would be published to allow free flow of

information and also confidentiality. Codes numbers will be used instead of names to protect

participant’s rights to confidentiality.

Limitations

Bias. Bias is defined as any tendency which prevents unprejudiced consideration of a

question. In research, bias occurs when systematic error is introduced into sampling or testing

by selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer over others. Bias can occur at any phase

of research, including study design or data collection, as well as in the process of data

analysis and publication. Another school of thought argued that bias occurs when subjects,

researchers or methodologies are influenced by external factors that alter the results of the

study. Controlling these sources of bias is paramount to producing useful and authoritative

results for a research. In order to control bias i remained neutral and had no motivation for

achieving one result over another so that the outcome would be real and unbiased.

Lack of resources. These resources come in different ways for example time, stationary, pens

and boards. Stationary is needed to take down the information that you are getting-so without

it, the research will not become a success. I managed to ask for these resources to the

department.

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Inaccessibility. The area of Mbada Diamonds is not accessible since there are tight security

soldiers with guns as in the photograph above. So you have to make appointments first and

granted permission

Delimitation

The research will be limited to the Mbada Diamonds and information to be collected is

strictly in relation to the topic under study.Also the study uses most of qualitative research

techniques because they are simple-no most of the calculations are involved.

Data Presantation and Analysis

Appendixes

Sample questionnaire for non- managerial employees

My name is Nyasha Mangombe, a 2.2 year student doing a Human Resource Management

Degree at Midlands State University. I am kindly asking for your cooperation in answering

the questionnaire below. Your particulars will not be included. The research will be treated

with the degree of confidentiality and it is for academic purposes only. The researcher seek

your opinion on the impact reward management has on you staying with the organization.

Job title:…………………………………………….

Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ]

Age range: 20-29 [ ]

30-39 [ ]

40-49 [ ]

50+ [ ]

Level of education

Doctorate: [ ]

Honours Degree: [ ]

Diploma Level: [ ]

‘A’ Level and below: [ ]

1) What do understand by the term reward management?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……

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2) Does affect your wish to stay with the organization? If so how

................................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................

............

3) What is your view on how your reward is managed?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………

4) What are the underlying beliefs you hold on how reward management should be done in

order to reduce the current rate of turnover

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

……

5) Do you think that you can benefit from an improved reward management? Explain.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………

6) What are the challenges associated with the current reward management and its impact on

retention?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

7) Do the merits outweigh the challenges? Explain further.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………

8) Any comments

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………

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