Ch 3. Resolving Conflict in the Workplace Flashcards

1
Q

Industrial relations

A

The quality of the relations that exist between the managers and the employees in an orgainisation

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2
Q

Benefits of good industrial relations (4)

A
  • Easier to recruit and retain high quality staff
  • Low levels of absenteeism and labour turnover
  • Happy staff are more productive
  • Fewer industrial disputes
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3
Q

An industrial dispute

A

A legal term referring to any conflict between workers and employers

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4
Q

Industrial disputes causes (3)

A
  • Pay and working conditions
  • Redundancies or dismissals
  • Discrimination of staff
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5
Q

Industrial relations made worse by (5)

A
  • Poor communications
  • Unrealistic employees
  • Excessively demanding employers
  • Aggressive behaviour, autocratic managers
  • Lack of trust
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6
Q

Good industrial relations can be promoted by (6)

A
  • Good wages and working conditions
  • Open communication
  • Keeping promises, trust and respect
  • Treating staff fairly
  • Having a clear grievance procedure, simple, fair and quick method
  • Fair dismissals
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7
Q

Grievance procedure

A

The rules agreed between employers and staff when raising workplace issues

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8
Q

Trade unions

A

Organisations that represent the views and interests of employees in matters concerning pay and conditions of employment

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9
Q

A shop steward

A

A spokesperson elected by employees in a workplace to act as their local union representative

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10
Q

Benefits of union membership to employees (5)

A
  • Protect employees rights
  • Look for better pay and conditions
  • Negotiate with employers
  • Provide advice
  • Provide a national voice through ICTU
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11
Q

Benefits of union membership to employers (5)

A
  • Simplifies communications
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12
Q

ICTU

A
  • Irish Congress of Trade Unions

- Speaks and acts for all unions in the ROI

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13
Q

Roles of ICTU (4)

A
  • A negotiator for all unions
  • Promotes the benefits of union membership
  • Resolves disputes between different unions
  • Provides training, education and research
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14
Q

Pay claims (4)

A
  • Cost of living claim
  • Comparability claim
  • Relativity claim
  • Productivity claim
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15
Q

Cost of living claim

A

Arises when employees want their wages to keep up with inflation

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16
Q

Comparability claim

A

Arises where employees want similar pay and conditions to workers doing comparable work in a different company

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17
Q

Relativity claim

A

Occurs where one group of workers want to maintain higher pay than another group

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18
Q

Productivity claim

A

Occurs where workers seek improved pay and conditions as a reward for increasing their output and efficiency

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19
Q

Individual bargaining

A

Occurs when the employer negotiates individually with an employee

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20
Q

Collective bargaining

A

Occurs when the employer negotiates collectively with a group of employees, usually through a trade union representative

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21
Q

Social partners

A

Comprise representatives of the government, employers, and employees

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22
Q

Social partnership

A

The process whereby the government, employers and employees agree pay and conditions nationally

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23
Q

Industrial Relation Act 1990

A

Law that sets out the rules concerning industrial disputes and strikes

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24
Q

According to the Industrial Relations Act 1990

A
  • Disputes must be legitimate
  • Unions must hold a secret ballot
  • Unions must give at least one week’s advance notice
  • Official disputes - have ICTU support
  • Immunity to being sued if its an official dispute
  • Unofficial disputes - don’t have ICTU - illegal
  • Primary picketing allowed, Secondary picketing illegal
  • LRC helps with resolving disputes
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25
Q

Secret ballot

A

How a person votes remains confidential

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26
Q

Official dispute

A

Legitimate trade disputes that have received the approval of a majority of workers in a secret ballot, along with trade union and ICTU support

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27
Q

Unofficial disputes

A
  • Have no union or ICTU approval

- Workers on strike in an unofficial dispute may receive no support from their union

28
Q

Wildcat strike

A

A type of unofficial dispute where no advance notice or warning is given to management

29
Q

Picketing

A

Involves employees and trade union officials walking up and down outside the workplace indicating a strike is in progress

30
Q

LRC

A
  • Labour Relations Commission

- Established by The Industrial Relations Act 1990 as a specialist agency to help with resolving industrial disputes

31
Q

Different types of industrial actions employees can take (5)

A
  • Token stoppages
  • Work-to-rule
  • Go-slow
  • Overtime bans
  • Strike
32
Q

Token stoppages

A

Involve workers stopping work for a short period of time to demonstrate their strength of feeling to the employer.

33
Q

Work to rule

A

The employees only to their basic job and nothing more.

34
Q

Go-slow

A

Employees carry out the minimum amount of work they can get away with without jeopardising their basic pay.

35
Q

Overtime bans

A

Workers refuse to work extra hours.

36
Q

All-out strike

A

All union members in an organisation are ordered by the ICTU to stop working and leave the premises.

37
Q

Negative consequences of strikes for Businesses

A

Operations and production are disrupted.

Sales are lost and profits fall.

38
Q

Negative consequences for Employees

A

Loss of wages.

39
Q

Negative consequences for Customers

A

Goods and services unavailable

40
Q

Negative consequences for Suppliers

A

Loss of sales.

Profits fall.

41
Q

Negative consequences for Investors

A

Reduction in dividends.

42
Q

Negative consequences for the Economy

A

Loss of wages spent and circulated.

43
Q

Negative consequences for the Government

A

Loss of tax revenues.

44
Q

The LRC provides (4)

A
  • Conciliation service
  • Rights Commissioner Service
  • Industrial Relations Advisory Service
  • Codes of Practice
45
Q

Conciliation Service

A

An Industrial Relations Officer at the LRC assists Employers and Union Representatives to sort out their differences and negotiate solution themselves.

46
Q

Rights Commissioner Services

A

For disputes involving just one or a small group of workers concerning unfair dismissal, maternity leave and disciplinary procedures.

47
Q

Codes of Practice

A

A set of recommended voluntary rules used in industrial relations to solve disputes.

48
Q

The Labour Court

A
  • “the court of last resort”

- Provides an arbitration service by listening to both sides in a dispute before recommending a solution

49
Q

Purpose of the Labour Court (4)

A
  • Only gets involved if asked by the LRC
  • Provides an arbitration service
  • Registers industrial relations agreements
  • Establishes Joint Labour Committees
50
Q

Arbitration

A

The Labour Court investigates a dispute and recommends a solution

51
Q

JLC’s

A
  • Joint Labour Committees

- A forum for negotiating minimum pay and conditions in industries where many workers do not have union protection

52
Q

Dismissal

A

To be sacked from a job due to incompetence, dishonesty or breach of company discipline

53
Q

Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 to 2007

A

Laws preventing employees from being dismissed from their job for unfair reasons

54
Q

A dismissal is considered fair if… (4)

A
  • Employee was incompetent or incapable
  • Employee’s conduct unacceptable
  • Job had become redundant
  • Employer followed proper procedures
55
Q

Redundancy

A

When workers are let go from a job because there is no longer enough work for them to do

56
Q

Voluntary redundancies

A

Offered to those who wish to apply for it

57
Q

Compulsory redundancies

A

When employees are not given a choice and must leave

58
Q

A dismissal is regarded unfair if…. (5)

A
  • Employer did not follow proper procedures
  • Employer cannot prove that the employee was incompetent
  • Employer cannot prove that the employee’s conduct was unacceptable
  • Employer cannot prove the job was redundant
  • Employer engages in constructive dismissal
59
Q

Before being dismissed, an employee has the right…. (3)

A
  • To know the reason
  • To have a right of reply to those reasons
  • To have a fair hearing and be accompanied by a representative
60
Q

Penalties for a company guilty of unfair dismissals (3)

A
  • Financial compensation
  • Reinstatement (financial compensation)
  • Re-engagement (no financial compensation)
61
Q

The Employment Equality Act 1998

A

The law that says it is illegal to discriminate against anyone at work on the basis of discrimination

62
Q

Discrimination

A

When one person is treated in a less favourable way than another person is, has been or would be treated in a comparable situation

63
Q

The Equality Authority

A

The State agency responsible for ensuring that businesses do not break equality laws

64
Q

Functions of the Equality Authority (3)

A
  • To monitor the operation of all equality legislation
  • To advise employers, employees and customers of the legal rights and responsibilities
  • To assist people with equality complaints
65
Q

The Director of Equality Investigations

A

Responsible of actually investigating complaints concerning discrimination referred by the Equality Authority

66
Q

Non-legislative ways of dealing with discrimination (2)

A
  • Talk

- Seek help (contact your union)

67
Q

Legislative ways of dealing with emotions (2)

A
  • An equality officer investigates serious cases and provides an arbitration service
  • An equality mediator appointed for less serious complaints - uses conciliation