illustrated problems which I believe apply to many enterprises
which have embarked upon the programme of workers’ par-
ticipation. Below is thus a summary of the problems I noticed and
about which I feel something has to be done in order to make
workers’ participation a success.

One of the problems lies on the side of the management.
Though the management has in general accepted the challenge of
workers’ participation, their acceptance is not quite total in both
enterprises. This can be shown by the managements’ monopoly of
the agenda formulation and the withholdding of some vital in-
formation from the workers as in the case of Friendship Textile
Mill. Secrecy and the withholding of information is a big problem.
There must be a flow of communication upward and downward.
The workers can only be able to participate if they are given the
information and if they are also able to communicate with those
at the top. The communication channel must flow from the top to
the bottom and from the bottom to the top. This kind of com-
munication can either be formal or informal. F ormally, it may be
through meetings or through a news pamplet of the enterprise;
and informally through personal contact among the members —
say in the form of conversation. Only when the workers are given
all the necessary information can they meaningfully participate. In
the case of TANESCO, the failure to include all the important
issues in the agenda for discussion in the Council meeting meant
that the first meeting of the Council did not discuss all the aspects
of TANESCO. It only dealt with other issues like social, personnel
and transport. This is not enough. Other matters relating to the
company should have been included. If the workers represen-
tatives were not able to include relevant issues like the technical
aspects of management the heads of those departments should
have brought those points for discussion. Their failure to do so in-
dicates some element of reluctance.

The reason for lack of total acceptance to the Circular by the
management in both enterprises has always been supported with
reasons that the workers are not educated and competent enough
to assume the managerial role. Though there is some validity in
this argument, this is not the main reason. The main reason is that
the management is not yet willing to fully integrate the workers in
decision-making. They only want to give piece-meal rights of par-
ticipation. In spite of the fact that the management realise the lack

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