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the traditional power and authority of the
established foreman. This situation has all
too often led to a personal dilemma where
the foreman is never certain on which
side of the management shop-floor fence
he sits.
“Companies frequently compound
this situation by further undermining
his authority through departmental
specialism, shop stewards and the
attitudes of senior management,” the
paper states.
“Every company has its own view
of where a supervisor fits into an
organisation — and various job titles
may apply. The term ‘supervisor’ is used
to describe chargehands, foremen and
supervisors, all with varying degrees of
authority and responsibility. The primary
source of recruitment for supervisors
is still the quarry floor, but all too often
the person is selected because of their
technical skills rather than potential as a
manager. Training for the job is usually
minimal and improvement in terms and
conditions of employment following a
promotion can only be described as a
gesture. Some supervisors still clock in
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and out and yet despite these factors, most
middle and senior managers would insist
that the supervisor is most definitely part
of the management team.”
The burning question is, do supervisors
see themselves as part of management?
The paper states that research at the start
of training courses reveals that 40% of
supervisors do see themselves as part of
management while 50% do not. Perhaps
more realistically, 10% said they did
“sometimes”.
Efficiency in terms of industrial
relations, machine and labour costs,
materials usage, quality and quantity of
product are all determined on the quarry
floor. Therefore, the industry clearly needs
managers at this level who are allowed to
lead, to motivate, and to take whatever
actions are necessary within well-defined
limits in the knowledge and confidence
that they will be supported be senior
management.
“Established foremen in the industry
must be given the learning opportunity
both on and off the job to match up
new challenges. Further, the industry
should take a leaf from the retail trades
where trainees en route to management
positions not only spend time on the shop
floor but also experience first-hand the
expectations and frustrations of first-line
supervision. Many recruits may never
make the grade of floor manager, but
along the way the companies concerned
provide themselves with a stock of
competent first-line supervisors.”
Aspasa’s view is that for the surface
mining industry to survive, it needs to
develop its supervisors to ensure they
can grow into management. “There are
many supervisors who, because they have
not had a chance, have consequently
not developed. In the meantime, other
employees with degrees are promoted
above them. Aspasa has now developed
and made available courses for
supervisors.”
Learning needs analysis
Often, in the training requirements
of individual quarries, it becomes
apparent to training professionals that
supervisory personnel are a key force.
Notwithstanding this, a lack of confidence
appears to exist on both sides of the
QUARRY SA | MAY/JUNE 2019_23