Becton Dickinson – medical devices manufacturer
Drogheda, Ireland
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
The fortunes of companies and plants can be turned around
when management and unions work together to release
the knowledge, experience and creativity of their
workforces.
Becton Dickinson has produced medical devices in Drogheda for fifty years, but during the
first decade of this century the plant seemed to be falling off the parent company’s radar.
Drogheda was gradually being overshadowed by its sister factory in Dun Laoghaire with
fourteen pen needle production lines compared with Drogheda’s one. Substantial job losses
and a lack of new investment left a space inside the factory “the size of a football field”.
Employment had fallen to less than a hundred. Moreover corporate interest was clearly
waning: “we weren’t getting many visitors” according to David Mullis, Head of HR.
Concern about the plant’s future led to an approach by the company’s trade union
representatives, supported by SIPTU Organisers Karl Byrne and Michelle Quinn, to the IDEAS
Institute. The Institute was established by SIPTU, Ireland’s largest trade union, “to identify
ways in which new thinking and new services can be introduced into the workplace for the
benefit of employees and the enterprise as a whole.” An increasingly important part of its
role is to involve companies and their employees in introducing smarter ways of working – a
striking example of how some unions are developing capacity as knowledgeable participants
in workplace innovation.
Tony Murphy and his colleagues at the IDEAS Institute held a series of inclusive meetings
with BD employees, union representatives and management, eventually leading to the
creation of JUMST – the Joint Union-Management Steering Team in which both parties were
equally represented. Drawing on inclusive dialogue with employees at every level, JUMST
defined the future vision for Drogheda and identified the first cluster of improvement
projects designed to show that the factory could again become a key performer within the
BD group.
Tony, an expert in lean thinking and practice, provided the tools and expertise with which
JUMST could analyse existing shopfloor processes and identify better ways of working. This
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included customised training for “people of influence”, a group of fourteen managers and
employees representing a diagonal slice of the entire Drogheda workforce.
There was a strong focus on the key elements of workplace innovation including
autonomous teamworking, continuous improvement, employee-led innovation groups and,
above all, a collaborative culture in which decision-making was routinely shared between
managers and workers. Unsurprisingly some managers were initially defensive about the
changes, perceiving them as personal criticism. Most were “won over by enthusiasm” from
the JUMST team and by reassurances that the aim was improvement rather than criticism. A
few managers however eventually left the company.
Likewise SIPTU shop stewards played a key role in overcoming the anxieties of their
members, ensuring that they felt a sense of ownership of the changes through
communication, open dialogue and active involvement. This represented a significant move
from the traditional role of the union representative to that of change champion.
JUMST is adept at avoiding industrial relations issues, which are dealt with in a separate
forum. It continues to drive the process, recognising that improvement and innovation are
not one-off occurrences and need to be embedded within the culture of the company. One
SIPTU representative, Ged Bannon, works full time on JUMST issues and is “on call 24/7”.
Ged argues strongly that when change is needed, union representatives shouldn’t wait for
management to take the initiative but “just do it”.
So what has been the result?
There is a tangible optimism about the future of the Drogheda plant.
JUMST-inspired improvements are leading to significantly enhanced performance against a
range of indicators, and this in turn is reflected in a new investment programme that has
seen the number of moulding machines rise from eight to twenty six. Existing jobs have
been saved and several more created.
SIPTU representatives report increased levels of engagement and well-being amongst their
members, supported by newly acquired personal skills and confidence.
Moreover the JUMST model is now being implemented in the much larger Dun Laoghaire
plant, with SIPTU local representative Pat Perry playing a key role. Once again this is
expected to lead to substantial gains for BD and its employees alike.
Becton Dickinson offers persuasive evidence that workplace partnership means more than
good industrial relations. Unions can play a key role in engaging workers at all levels in
© EUWIN April 2014
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innovation and improvement, creating win-win outcomes for employees and their
employers. SIPTU’s IDEAS Institute provides a clear lead for other European trade unions.
© EUWIN April 2014