Mapapa ltd is an organization that was started in the year $2002$ by Mr$.$ and Mrs$.$ Larry. The organization provides care to young children who suffer from terminal illnesses or have had serious brain damaging accidents. Its services include among others professional, counseling and respite support to the families of the children it helps. It is a national organization with ten branches across Kenya, each varying in size. Most branches provide similar care and support except for its headquarters which provides residential care facilities. The rest are day care centers with extended opening hours.

It employs over $200$ staff nationally of whom $10\%$ comprise the management team,$15\%$ are clerical and support staff and the remainder are highly skilled professionals who include nurses counselors, physiotherapists, care assistants and learning advisors. The organization also relies on a pool of about $150$ volunteers to meet and service clients$$ needs.

All staff, with the exception of the management team and volunteers, has the option of union membership with one recognized trade union. However across the grades union membership is less than $40\%.$There are few formal personnel policies and no one has ever received a formal job description. The day to day employment issues or concerns are dealt with in an ad hoc manner by the area manager responsible for a particular cluster of centers. Negotiations over pay conditions are conducted through single table bargaining with employees$$ respective union officials and a board of trustees. Although the pay terms are generally lower than those of the relevant professionals nationally, the employees care immensely for the children. Many view their role as a vocation rather than just a job. However, over the last two years the Managing Director has become increasingly aware that there is a certain amount of dissatisfaction amongst the work force about the terms and conditions of employment. The systematically collected data by the human resource manager has indicated that the overall performance is not satisfactory. Employee morale and labour relations have worsened. Staff turnover has increased especially for the professionals who have found employment elsewhere in the local labour market. Absenteeism is of real concern and the number of grievances and disciplinary cases to be dealt with has risen noticeably. The manner in which the cases are handled made the union threaten to go on strike.

With no formal consultative and information giving arrangement in the organization, the Managing Director feels that this threat might become a reality.

As a first step towards rectifying the situation, the Managing Director called a meeting with the management team. During the meeting, the managers shared their concerns over the way personnel issues were being handled. They recommended that a human resource e specialist be consulted to help the organization deal with the employee relations issues.

After a careful review of the situation the consultant made the following recommendations:

i$.$ That a grievance handling and disciplinary procedure be put in place.

ii$.$ That the company establishes consultative and participatory machinery for employees.

iii. That information arrangement be made in the organization which allows dual communication

iv$.$ That employee, salaries be reviewed to march their counterparts in the labour market.

v$.$ That the union be accorded due recognition to enable it represents the employees effectively.

vi$.$ That the employees be provided with non$-$financial incentives to boost their moral.

vii. That counseling service be established within the organization.

a$)$ Explain the short comings of the bargaining technique adopted by Mapapa limited$.$

$(10$ Marks$)$

b$)$ The human resource specialist recommended that a grievances handling procedure be established at Mapapa limited$.$ Advise the management as to how this recommendation can be implemented.

$(10$ Marks$)$

c$)$ Evaluate the benefits of establishing consultative machinery for employee involvement indecision making at Mapapa limited$.$

$(10$ Marks$)$

$($d$)$ Explain how the management of Mapapa limited could avert the threatened strike.