Employee management and engagement

Labour rights

We seek to build a relationship of trust and respect with employees and to nurture harmonious labour relations backed by fair, equal and consistent policies. We recognise the rights of employees to freedom of association, collective bargaining, dispute resolution mechanisms and protection against any form of harassment and victimisation.

In South Africa, we are governed by and comply fully with the Labour Relations Act (1995), the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (1997), the Skills Development Act (1998), the Occupational Health and Safety Act (1993), the Unemployment Insurance Act (1995), and the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act (2003). In addition, our labour policies and practices adhere strictly to the requirements of labour laws and regulations in the overseas countries in which we operate.

Procedures exist in group companies for negotiation and consultation on changes to conditions of employment or the structure of the organisation, and notice periods relating to structural operational changes are governed by legislation and collective agreements at the operational level.

Several commitments frame our approach to ethical labour practices. These include employees’ collective agreements, our human resources policies and procedures, our health, safety and environment policy and our Code of Conduct. In addition, we have strict policies on the prohibition of forced labour, underage employment, discrimination of any nature and violations on the right of freedom of association and collective bargaining. Our staff development programmes offer platforms for employee awareness and the provision of information on employees’ rights.

Workforce profile

Table 1: General South African workforce profile (for the 12 months to 30 June 2012)

The above summary is an aggregation of all the South African operating entities

Table 2: Geographical breakdown of workforce

Employee engagement

Employees are recognised as one of our most important stakeholder groups – they share responsibility for the performance and reputation of the group, and interface on a daily basis with a wide range of other important stakeholder groups including customers, suppliers, business partners and civil society.

Constructive, transparent two-way employee engagement is critical to ensuring that employees remain motivated, committed and appropriately skilled, and reflect the values of Imperial. Employee engagement also allows us to leverage our employees’ close, onthe- ground interaction with customers to identify new business opportunities and ways in which we can improve on service delivery. Furthermore, effective communication with employees is critical to instilling a sense of belonging to Imperial and to entrenching our culture and values.

We engage with employees internally through a number of different platforms, including bi-annual group CEO and divisional CEO stakeholder feedback forums, shop floor briefings; direct communication with line managers, formal grievance procedures, career and performance reviews, and an independently managed and anonymous ethics line. Poster campaigns, a staff intranet portal and internal staff magazines and newsletters are further communication media used by the company. Various businesses within the group also conduct employee satisfaction and climate surveys.

As a significant proportion of our employees are represented by trade unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements, engagement with organised labour forms an integral part of effective employee engagement.

Most of the larger industry-representative unions have membership in the operating divisions. These include the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), the Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU), the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA).

Each business is responsible for labour relations and union engagement. Unions are engaged in wage discussions and negotiations, on issues related to transformation, training and development, and are represented on health and safety committees and employment equity forums. They attend regular management/ union meetings as well as health and safety and employment equity meetings.