Employment Relations Case Study

2067 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of trade unions in the economy

Management should have the right to determine whether a union should operate their workplace. Discuss.
Introduction
Employment relationship (ER) is the interaction between people and organisation at work. It is the study of formal and informal rules regulating the social processes and employment relationship which helps to create and enforce the rules (Bray, Waring, & Cooper, 2011) (hereinafter BWC). Lewis, Thornhill et al (as cited in Spooner & Haidar, 2006) defined ER as a social, political, legal, economic and psychological relationship where employees are willing to work accordingly to their employer’s interest and dedicate their time to the workplace in return for a financial and non-financial reward. Young (1963) stated that management has the right to decide all the policies, rules and the method of operating the workplace but if unions are operating, the authority has to be shared partially between the unions and management. According to BWC, the three analytical frameworks have different view on ER. A pluralist thinks the possibility of conflict is critical in ER but it can be managed by proper rules and regulations. ER is essentially supportive in the view of a unitarist, it only get interrupted by occasions and unlawful conflict. Lastly, radicals view employment relations as a long term structural conflict between employers and also individuals who dedicate themselves to the employers and workplace. One of the important players in employment relationship is the management. According to Dobson (2013), management is always constraining by the goals, business policies and the organizational goals. Verma ( 2005) stated that unions can be a tool of social changes, their main activity will still stay in the workplace to enga...

... middle of paper ...

...f both management and employee, TU seems to negatively affect the management relationship in the workplace. Unionized employees are also less likely than non-union employees to show trust and satisfaction with the management.
Conclusion
Both unions and management stand positive relations with authority at work. Unions can help to improve wages and benefits; they also have the rights and protection when enforcing authorities. Strong labour laws will be supported because of the democratic authority relation at work. Management can also be a good substitution to union representation in the case where they have more power in the organization that has meaningful effects. The effect on TU can be seen as a cycle of organizational changes which lead to better management. In conclusion, it is the management’s decision whether to allow union to be active in their workplace.

Show More
Related

  • The Pros And Cons Of Unionization Initiatives

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though the very purpose of a union is to defend the interest of its members, the company could also use the instrument to promote the official point of views of the company’s management. In clear, the union and the management could work in good intelligence to promote the interest of worker and the interest of the company. Generally, the problem between management and union come when they one as another as an adversary and not as a partner. To be more constructive and create a working atmosphere profitable for both parties, union and company’s management need to work side by side to address real problems. Thus, worker must understand that the best job security for them comes primarily from the existence of the company and so their union should not be a mean for jeopardizing the company’s purposes. Similarly, the management must also understand that he will not achieve his annual goals unless the workers are well treated and the condition of work meet the standards set by official rules and regulations. This is a clear psychological contract between the company and it workers. The success of the company depends heavily on the respect of that psychological contract. Personally, I will play the role of a mediator between my boss and the worker who want to unionize and explain. I will clearly explain to my boss the benefit of having a union in the company and also explain to the worker the necessity to help the company increase it performance by working harder. And the union should not be a tool for undermine the efforts of the management to achieve better

    Read More

  • Why Do Labor Unions Matter?

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ethics and the Unions - Part 1. Industrial Workers of the World. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iww.org/en/history/library/Dolgoff/newbeginning/1

    Read More

  • Labor Unions and Democracy

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Factories were known for their ill treatment of their employees, long hours and dirty and unsafe conditions. In 1866, unions started to form to improve working conditions for the workers. A fundamental problem faced by democratic societies is as long as people live their lives individually and go their separate ways and be selfish individuals, they are unlikely to meet collectively to resolve issues. There needs to be meaningful unity among people to alleviate this problem to get people obliged to one another, so there is a willingness to sacrifice for shared goals. Bonding of its citizens creates a democracy. Unions seemed to offer the middle class a chance to become a crucial part of fostering institutions of constitutional democracy. The unions have went through several transitions, but have always worked for the working force. I will discuss the history of the various unions, their wins and losses, and the struggle of the employee to achieve democracy in the workplace.

    Read More

  • Norma Rae: Labor Unions and the Power Struggle

    3053 Words  | 7 Pages

    Labor unions were established as a way for workers’ needs and grievances to be heard by management. According to Fossum (2012), “forming a union creates a collective voice to influence change at work” (p. 7). The collective voice of workers in a union holds much more power than any single employee’s voice. It can loudly draw attention to mistreatment or abuse of workers. The organized collective voice of workers demands to be treated in a fair way by its management in terms of wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.

    Read More

  • The Disadvantages Of Unions And Size Advantage Strikes?

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    The disadvantages of union membership are viewed from the employee and employer perspective. Through the employee lens, the disadvantages manifest in the form of fees, loss of autonomy, and less collaborative work environment. As part of the union, you surrender many of your individual rights in exchange for the organized results that can potentially manifest through the collective bargaining process. Therefore, there isn’t any assurance that your individual concern will even be addressed.

    Read More

  • The Disadvantages of Union Membership From an Employer's Perspective

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the employees perspective there are many benefits as well as cons which are encompassed in the act of joining a union and maintaining such a relationship. The first of the benefits includes a somewhat increased amount of job security. In the case of a slip up, or an instance in which you may be dismissed or receive discipline, the union you are a party to will have the last say in whether this action is fair to you. This may protect you from unreasonable managers or some types of discrimination (Saez). However many types of discrimination is also covered by anti-discrimination statutes. One of the most commonly given reasons for being part of a union is the appeal of having a common bond between employees (Reader). Unions also promote a healthy, safe and friendly work environment. However this benefit is minor and redundant as much of OSHA covers this as well. Additionally, unions will bargain a contract for its members, which will generally be based upon the way that the union perceives the needs of its members (Saez). The problem with this is that it is extremely difficult for the union’s perception an employee’s individual needs to be accurate due to the union’s tendency to only. Among the items negotiated, wage is one of the most important. However minimal wage incre...

    Read More

  • Collective Bargaining Agreements

    1667 Words  | 4 Pages

    The management process, when properly executed, involves a wide variety of activities, including planning, organizing, directing and controlling. It is management’s role to perform all of these functions in order to maximize results. Management maintains the right to direct all business activities. In order to retain as much authority as possible in the direction of the workplace, management has sought to include certain provisions in collective bargaining agreements. Management has no rights over individual people within the organization, but does maintain rights to property, which are real and legally enforceable.

    Read More

  • How Does The External Environment Affect Employment Relations?

    1292 Words  | 3 Pages

    Employment relations refer to the relationship between the employer and the employee. Employment relations are governed by the provisions of the employment contract and/or collective agreement where applicable, common law principles and legislative provisions governing specific situations. Many factors in the external environment have an effect on the employment relations within an organization, which they need to monitor and possibly adapt to the necessary changes. The external environmental factors that would influence employment relations are political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental.

    Read More

  • Collective Bargaining In Canada

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    An employer cannot continue to bargain in good faith with a union while simultaneously excluding it from all employee-directed literature and from every process. These tactics all attempted to devalue the union’s

    Read More

  • The Impact of Trade Unions on Productivity

    1855 Words  | 4 Pages

    Trade Unions is essentially pluralistic in outlook, it covers not only the relations between employer and employee, but also the relations between employers and unions and between them. TU theory, practice and institutions traditionally focus more on the collective aspect of relations. This is evident from the central place occupied by labour law, freedom of association, collective bargaining, the right to strike etc.

    Read More

  • Management of the Employer-Employee Relationship

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    The relationship between employer and employees plays a pivotal role in the performance of the organization. Employers and employees have certain responsibilities towards each other which facilitate a fair and productive workplace. Positive work relationships create a cooperative climate with effort towards the same goals. Conflict, on the other hand, is likely to divert attention away from organizational performance.

    Read More

  • Managerial Prerogative

    1853 Words  | 4 Pages

    The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...

    Read More

  • The Labor-Management Relationship

    1991 Words  | 4 Pages

    Traditional literature in the field of labor relations has focused immensely on its benefit towards the employer and in the process equating it to working rules. This has been so despite the field being expected to cover the process of, labor management, union formation, and collective bargain; all which are anticipated to create a positive employer-employee relationship. This relationship is said to be positive if there exist a balance between employment functions and the rights of the laborer. Also important to note, is that this relation is equally important to the public sector as it is to the private one. Therefore, to ensure a mutually conducive labor environment exists, effective labor management process and inclusive negotiation program should be adopted (Mulve 2006; Walton, 2008).

    Read More

  • The Best Theory of Industrial Relations

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many different approaches and theories regarding industrial relations nowadays. In order to mount an opinion on which is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory of industrial relations, each theory will have to be analyzed. The three most prevalent theories of industrial relations which exist are The Unitarist theory, The Pluralist theory and The Marxist theory. Each offers a particular perception of workplace relations and will therefore interpret such events as workplace conflict, the role of trade unions and job regulation very differently. I will examine each of these theories in turn and then formulate my own opinion regarding which is the ‘best’ or most appropriate theory.

    Read More

  • Systems Theory of Industrial Relations

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    Industrial Relations is a multidisciplinary field dealing with the study of employment relationship in union and non-union organizations. There have been various theories of industrial relations in place, but the first and most influential theory was put forward by John Thomas Dunlop. Dunlop, as a labor economist, remodelled the work of sociologists and developed a framework of industrial relations system. He developed the System’s Theory which stressed on the interrelationship of institutions and behaviors that enables one to understand and explain industrial relation rules.

    Read More

More about Employment Relations Case Study

Open Document