SUFA Initiative (2001)

Labour-Management Partnerships Program (LMPP)

General Information
Lead Department	HRDC - Labour Program
Partners	Partners are individual labour unions and employers, as well as organizations representative of both labour and management.
Effective Date	September 1991 (TB 817089 - amended TB 821541)
Expiry Date	Ongoing.
Website(s)	http://labour-travail.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca
Purpose	The objective of the Labour-Management Partnerships Program (LMPP) is to support joint labour-management initiatives that are developed and implemented in the workplace, or at the sectoral level; to foster and improve the labour-management relationship. LMPP funding allows the parties to experiment with new ideas through pilot projects that are outside the scope of normal day-to-day operations and to jointly seek new ways of working and of working together. The program encourages the development of tangible results (e.g. manuals, training materials, videos, proceedings, reports) that are widely distributed by program participants to other labour and business organizations. Projects are assessed against specific program criteria and priorities. Priority is given to projects under the federal jurisdiction.
Roles and Contributions	LMPP is a centralized federal program with no provincial counterparts. It is a cost-sharing program, where participants (union, employer or an association which represents both) must contribute at least 50% of the total costs of the project in cash or in kind. In most projects, however, participants contribute considerably more than half of the total costs. Maximum LMPP funding for each project is $100,000 over a period not exceeding 24 months. The role and contribution of HRDC is publicly communicated in all final project reports and marketing material. The following clauses are part of the contribution agreement signed by the parties: « The applicant agrees to acknowledge the financial contribution of Human Resources Development Canada in any document resulting from this project, on all promotional material and at any presentation based on the project in a prominent fashion, by inserting on the cover page of a hard cover document or on the first screen of an electronic document, or by advertising/announcing at any presentation, the following : « This project was financially assisted by the Labour-Management Partnerships Program ». These clauses are accompanied by the Canada logo on marketing material. The role of the partners (management and labour) is to ensure that: the project has been jointly developed and will be jointly implemented at all stages by labour and management, the project is innovative (would make a new and significant contribution to labour relations or labour-business-government relations), there is a commitment to practical results that will be widely disseminated, the commitment to fund at least one half of the project costs, in cash or in kind, is honoured, the project is properly managed. Our experience has been that the role and contribution of the Labour Management Partnerships Program and the interest of the Labour Program of HRDC in promoting co-operative and stable industrial relations is always very graciously and prominently acknowledged at conferences that receive a financial contribution. Likewise, funded projects that produce publications acknowledge clearly the role and contribution of the HRDC Labour Program.. Public reaction is also monitored through the comments we that are received concerning projects that are funded and concerning the program itself.

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Resources
Funding	$1.6 million per fiscal year. - There are no transfers of resources to provincial governments.
Tracking and Reporting	The Statement of Work, Progress Reports, the Budget and the Schedule of Payments are negotiated with the applicants before a contribution agreement is signed by all participants. Spending is tracked and documented through expenditure reports which must be submitted before issuing incremental project payments. If the previous payment has not been expended by the applicants the subsequent payment will be withheld until all previous payments are spent on the agreed to items. If there are any irregularities with the expenditure reports they are noted on file and the parties are contacted to rectify any spending discrepancies. Once rectified the next payment is released. All files are available for public review upon request. Canadians can obtain information on projects by calling the LMPP 1-800 line (563-5677). As part of the contribution agreement, applicants are required to submit a marketing plan for the dissemination of the final project report to ensure that the results of the project benefit the most Canadians possible. Copies of final project reports are available from the parties. In addition, copies of all project reports are available for public consultation through the HRDC library. A summary of most reports is published in the Labour program’s "Workplace Gazette". In progress2. A website containing a summary of all projects, including the amount funded, is in development in conjunction with HRDC and is expected to be made available to the public in 2002.

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Measurement and Reporting
Outcomes / Outputs	A final report is requested for every project describing the project objectives, how the objectives were reached, lessons learned, pitfalls, recommendations, if appropriate, and how the process has contributed to the labour-management relationship. Program outcomes expected to be achieved are based on the project outputs described below: The most important planned outputs expected to be achieved in any project are tools, reports, best practices, newly established procedures or other mechanisms which will ultimately improve the labour-management relationship. The key short-term outcome expected in any project is to improve the labour/management relationship at the workplace or sectoral level. The desired medium-term outcome is to share with other organizations new ways of working and working together which will contribute to reducing those barriers that arise during negotiation of their collective agreement. The desired long-term outcome is to establish healthier work environments, which are beneficial to not only labour and management, but Canadians as a whole. This can take the form of increased employment at the workplace or sectoral level, fewer strikes and lockouts, and ultimately, a competitive advantage for Canadians within the global economy. In progress2 - A diagnostic tool to measure the success of LMPP funded projects is being designed to measure and assess key outcomes. Program effectiveness is measured by the percentage of labour disputes settled without a work stoppage.
Indicators	In progress2 - Program effectiveness is measured by the percentage of labour disputes settled without a work stoppage. In addition a diagnostic tool to measure the success of LMPP funded projects is being designed to measure and assess key outcomes. The information with respect to labour disputes settled without a work stoppage is obtained from federal and provincial agencies. Information with respect to the assessment of a project by those involved and effected will be done by a survey.
Comparable Indicators	A societal indicator that will be used is the percentage obtained by comparing the number of work days lost to strikes to the number of total work days. This indicator measures the industrial relations health of Canada.
Evaluation/Third Party Assessments	LMPP was subject to the most recent HRDC internal audit and the HRDC Internal Program Review. It is also participating in the 3rd Party Review by Price Waterhouse, the program Management Initiative and the Capacity Study. There was also an evaluation done in 1998 by Ekos Research Associates Inc. Conclusions from all the reviews confirmed the importance of the program and the integrity of its processes and controls. Periodic evaluations to ensure that the program continues to meet its objectives will be conducted as required. Random on-site audits by LMPP Program Advisors have been and will continue to be carried out to ensure adherence to methods and procedures outlined in the contribution agreement.
Shared Information and Best Practices	For projects funded by LMPP, a communication strategy is required to ensure dissemination of the final report, best practices, how-to-guides or other outputs in order to benefit as many organizations or individuals as possible. In progress2 - A website containing a summary of all projects is in development in conjunction with HRDC and is expected to be made available to the public in 2002. This site could include other elements related to the project (ie. lessons learned, best practices, etc.) which might be of benefit to the general public.
Public Reporting	At the time funding is granted, press releases are issued for projects deemed to be of significant public interest describing the nature of the project and the anticipated results. At the present time there are no public announcements at the time of completion of a project. As part of the contribution agreement, applicants are required to submit a marketing plan for the dissemination of the final project report to ensure that the results of the project benefit the most Canadians possible. Copies of final project reports are available from the parties. In addition, copies of all project reports are available for public consultation through the HRDC library. A summary of most reports is published in the Labour program’s"Workplace Gazette". In progress2 - A website containing a summary of all projects funded by LMPP is expected to be made available to the public in 2002. This site could include other elements related to the project (ie. lessons learned, best practices, etc.) which might be of benefit to the general public.

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Involving Canadians
Provisions for Citizens to Participate in Developing Social Priorities and Reviewing Outcomes	LMPP funded projects reflect the social priorities of the parties. These priorities are often a good indicator of the current issues and concerns affecting the Canadian workforce in general. In progress2 - The proposed website could also give the public the opportunity to comment on program specific projects and/or make recommendations for new priorities.
Feedback Mechanisms to the Public	Feedback mechanisms will be incorporated into the proposed website.

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Service Commitments
Public Availability of Eligibility Criteria	labour-travail.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/eng/fmcs.cfm. Applications, criteria, priorities and other information related to possible LMPP funding can also be obtained by telephoning the 1-800-563-5677 or through e-mail or writing.
Existence and Availability of Service Commitments	LMPP is committed to providing applicants with the assistance of a program advisor to explain the requirements and criteria of the program, to provide advice concerning the development of a proposal, to enter into a contract if the proposal is approved, and to guide them on meeting the reporting and other contract requirements.
Measurement and Public Reporting	The service commitment referred to above is fulfilled in all cases, and is reviewed on a regular basis and in response to any complaints or enquires.

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Appeals and Complaints
Existence, Availability and Communication of Mechanisms	Complaints concerning any aspect of LMPP can be made by telephoning 1-800-563-5677 or via e-mail or by post.
Tracking and Public Reporting	The Program Advisor is in constant touch with the parties involved in the project permitting the resolution of any concerns or questions as they arise. A record of all activity on each project is carefully kept. LMPP has never had any formal public complaints about its program. Non-participants of the program are free to make a complaint via the web site (e-mail) or by correspondence or by our 1-800 telephone line.

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Mobility
Existence of Measures	This is a national program - it does not present any barriers to labour mobility.