OMBUDSMAN
DETAILS: EXPANDED
1) An Ombudsman will be elected by each crew at the beginning of the season .
Each crew will hold a blind ballot vote with all members
of the crew attending to decide who the Ombudsman will be. In the case of a
split vote, the crew will revote for the two (or more) candidates with the most
votes in the first ballot. The elected Ombudsman will remain in his or her
position for the duration of the season, unless he or she moves to a crew where
there is already an Ombudsman. Then there will be either be a revote or one
Ombudsman may abdicate the position to the other.
2)
Ombudsmen will communicate worker
problems with specific issues to ownership in a timely and responsible manner.
Ombudsmen should attempt to get messages to ownership
quickly so problems can be addressed as soon as possible. This can be done
either by telephone, writing, E-mail, or in person but the Ombudsman should
ensure that the contents of the message are shared only with ownership.
Ombudsmen and workers should distinguish general conversation from making an
official report. Workers general comments should never be taken out of context,
and Ombudsmen will base their reports solely on issues that workers ask to
discuss with them as an Ombudsman.
3)
Ombudsmen will cooperate with
workers to find an appropriate way of expressing their grievances
Ombudsmen should encourage workers to consider their
problems from all perspectives, including that of any individual they may be
complaining about. Workers should be encouraged to work their problems out with
individuals before lodging a formal complaint. However, the Ombudsman will not
refuse to forward any grievance to management, as the Ombudsman role is not to
edit people’s concerns. The Ombudsmen can, however, encourage workers to frame
their grievances in a constructive manner that seeks to find a solution rather
than attack an individual. The Ombudsman cannot be expected to act as a mediator
between disagreeing parties unless the two jointly agree to such an arrangement.
Even in such circumstances, the Ombudsman must avoid designating right and wrong
labels, but rather seek to find a solution that will allow the disagreeing
parties to work together peacefully.
4)
Ombudsmen will not reveal the name
of any grieving party. Furthermore, workers can submit letters to the Ombudsmen
via the Internet. Ombudsmen will check their mailbox on a regular basis.
Workers must be able to trust the Ombudsman to keep their
complaints confidential. However, this expectation may be limited in
situations where the nature of the complaint indicates the identity of the
grieving party. Grievances about particular incidents will likely be attributed
to the individuals involved when ownership discusses the matter with management.
The Ombudsman should explain this to the worker, but remind them that they
should not be discouraged from voicing their complaint for fear of reprise. An
Ombudsman page has been set up at www.zanzibar.ca
so that workers can express their concerns in an anonymous manner.
Ownership should also be sensitive to such issues when discussing them with
management.
5)
The Ombudsman does not act as a
channel for workers to complain about other workers
The Ombudsman will not deal with conflicts of this
nature. The Ombudsman role is to act as a facilitator for the concerns of the
workers and not as a method for ownership or management to use workers to report
flaws in each other. It is essential for the workers to trust the Ombudsman to
steer clear of such conflicts.
6) Neither workers
nor Ombudsman will be subject to reprise for the lodging of complaints with
ownership.
Management will not punish workers for voicing their
legitimate concerns or grievances. The Ombudsman will also not be punished in
any way for bringing such issues to the attention of ownership.
7) Ombudsmen will
record worker input on general company operations, and summarize input in a
seasonal report that is forwarded to company ownership.
Workers
may also wish to express their input on company operations to the Ombudsman on
general issues such as food, camp arrangements, and party details. Worker input
on such issues (be it negative or positive) should be recorded by the Ombudsman
in a clear and accurate record. This information should be summarized and
relayed to management at the end of each season.
This information should be kept separate from any specific grievances and
planters should be informed of how their input will be relayed to ownership.
Workers should know that specific complaints will be handled differently (and
more immediately) than input on general operations.
8) The Ombudsman
cannot be used by management to investigate complaints, and the Ombudsman is not
subject to reproach of any kind for relaying problems to ownership
Management may not ask the Ombudsman to explain any
complaints against them, or be pressured into assuming a middle position between
management and workers. The Ombudsman will not be punished in any way for
failing to supply such information.
9) The Ombudsman
will maintain a neutral position on any conflicts brought to his or her
attention and relay concerns in an unbiased manner, without undue editing.
Although
the Ombudsman, may assist the worker in framing their grievance in a
constructive manner, they are not to edit the complaints in any way or
allow their personal biases to influence the nature of the report. It is
unavoidable that the Ombudsman will have particular feelings on certain issues,
but it is their obligation to remain neutral within their position of
trust.
10) The Ombudsman
will relay any response from ownership to workers concerning their grievances
Workers should be made aware that their grievances have been heard by ownership and are being addressed. Ownership will attempt to develop a fair solution to any problem that recognizes the needs and perspectives of all parties involved. If a specific solution is achieved, the worker should be properly informed.
11)
Ownership will issue a response to
areas of general concern that appear in Ombudsmen’s end-of-season reports.
Ownership should attempt to inform workers of what efforts have been made to address their areas of general concern. This will allow workers to recognize that their input is being considered, and better understand their work environment.
12) Ombudsmen
do not bear the responsibility to develop a solution for problems, but may
make recommendations to ownership on how issues may be approached.
The actual process of decision-making and problem solving lies within the authority of ownership. The Ombudsman is not expected or empowered to make binding decisions on his or her co-workers or management. Their position is meant strictly to facilitate the process of resolution by allowing workers to safely and accurately communicate their problems to ownership. The Ombudsman may, however, make suggestions on how an issue may be approached if the worker so requests. It is up to ownership to decide whether or not such requests are compatible with the demands of the job and consistent with a fair and cooperative work environment.