2.7 - Industrial/Employee Relations Flashcards
what are some sources of conflict in the workplace?
- lack of job security
- insufficient salaries/benefits
- excessive working hours
- poor/lack of communication
- inequity in the workplace
- unrealistic expectations
- conflicting leadership styles
- redundancies
- conflict of personality between employees
what is the effect on conflict in the workplace?
- may cost the business money
- can lead employees to become unmotivated and unproductive
- employees may leave the company
What is industrial action?
measures or actions taken by individuals whereby one side of a given conflict is pressurised by another side, employees as well as employers
what industrial action can employees take?
- collective bargaining
- work to rule
- strike action
what industrial action can employers take?
- collective bargaining (trade unions)
- threat of redundancies
- changes in contracts
- lockouts
- closure
what is collective bargaining (employee)
what are its pros?
when employees negotiate with their employer through a representative
* may be through trade unions
pros
* employees will generally have more power when they group up together
what is work to rule
when employee only work exactly to the conditions stated on their contract and refuse to do any aditional work
what is strike action
when employee refuse to work for a period of time
- very detrimental to the business but may also lead to firing
what is collective bargaining (employer)
what are its pros and cons?
when the employers agree to meet with an employee representative
* saves time - bargaining is simplified
* makes employees feel listened to - motivation
what is threat of redundancies
if an employee still does not agree to resolve conflict, it could lead to redundancies
* frighten employees into agreeing to solve conflict
what is changes in contracts
- when an employer may change an employees contract to longer working hours or job requirements
- ‘fire and rehire’ - employees redundant and must reapply for roles, employees are threatened by employers to be made redundant if they do not sign their new contract
what are lock-outs and closure?
lock-outs
* when an employer decides to temporarily shut their factory - so that employees can not work and can not be paid (detrimental to business but can be used in serious circumstances)
closure
* last resort
* when an employer decides to fully close down factories or other facilities making employees of this facility unemployed
what can be done to prevent industrial disputes?
- employee participation and industrial democracy (eg. employee representatives, employe share ownership, democratic leadership style)
- no strike agreement (when an employer agrees to the terms of employees in return for employees agreeing not to strike)
- single union agreement (when the employer decides to negotiate with only one union, a collection of all the unions present)
pros/cons of what can be done to prevent industrial disputes
- employee participation and industrial democracy
pro - motivation and inclusivity - productivity, decrease likelihood of further conflicts
con - - no-strike agreement
pro - reduces the cons from stikes
(eg. employees have period of time not paid, detrimental to business, brand image etc.)
con - reduces power of employees - single union agreement
pro - faster decision making, considers employees
con - single - not all views may be included
what are ways in which industrial conflicts can be resolved?
describe them
reconcilliation
* when a third-party individual is called to moderate the conflict, aim is to motivate communication and allow employee and employer to come to a resolution by themselves
arbitration
* when a third party individual is called to moderate, hear both sides of the conflict and create a legally binding agreenment and solution
pro/con of arbitration
pro
* a decision will definetly be reached
con
* risk that your side may not benefit from the final decision
