Translations

Orgaman: Responsible social dialogue as a performance guarantee for the company.

3. Labor relations / working conditions

Working conditions

Sector Food-processing

Year 2010

Country The Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Transmitter

Context

Orgaman, a Belgian family group, has been established, since 1974, in Congo. The holding consists of 10 companies with very different activities covering the whole chain of production and distribution of frozen and staple products. African culture is traditionally happy when there is work, and the continent is characterized by a culture of teamwork and common interest. It is, therefore, important for an entrepreneur to be aware of this and utilize these cultural values. For Orgaman, this was an essential point, so important that the group formed mergers between several companies and had to equitably harmonize the practices among companies to bring about a group feel.

Objectives

Bringing together all stakeholders of the company around the goal of success for the group and sign a social pact that will not endanger the project of the group.
Avoid risks such as legal (legal fees and damages to be paid in case of breach of the Labour Code), economic and social (lack of motivation, reduced productivity, absenteeism, accidents, etc.)
Contribute to ethical decision-making by taking into account the individual and collective well-being.

APPROACH

To overcome difficulties and create a climate of trust, the agreement includes quarterly, biannual, and annual meetings, which respectively address the topics of: the transfer of personnel and fee payments, the evolution of prices of products and goods and the general index of the population, the main objectives of the strategy and the finances of the company.

In detail, the agreement provides for involvement in the social life of employees (social activities to relax, work bonuses, weddings, births, retirements and deaths), as well as transparency in the operation of the business (shared strategic goals, transparent definition of compensation, boundaries of the company in terms of redistribution)

Parallel to the collective agreement, Orgaman has used an external consultant to standardize the job classification for more transparency and reduce possible discrimination related to certain positions in certain subsidiaries. This work was then validated by all social partners.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Positive image among employees: since 1974, only a single strike (lasting 1 week).

Benefits

Fair treatment of all positions and all subsidiaries.
Example setting: the Convention serves as a reference and Orgaman is vice-president of the Federation of Congolese Companies, serving as an expert in solving problems of other companies.