Industrial relation have been a subject of major concern for quite some time, but traditionally, industrial relations is based on the assumptions that the workers and the managers are not classified as the same entity. Industrial relation has two historical meanings; one it describes the public policy and employment practices of the employers and unions and the other meaning refers to a specific academic new and certain theoretical principles. Thus this paper illustrates an approach to British industrial relation over a certain time and important changes or reforms undertaken in industrial relation by major government and unions. The paper emphasizes on how the system of industrial relations in United Kingdom (UK) is characterised and progressed …show more content…
International labour Organisation (ILO) defines “Industrial relations deal with either the relationship between the state and employers and workers organization or the relation between the occupational organizations themselves.
Industrial relation can be described as a system comprising of inputs, derived from goals, values and power of actors within the system and the outputs, comprising the financial, social and psychological rewards to employees. According to H.A Clegg, “the field of industrial relations includes the study of workers and their trade unions, management, employers associations, and the state institutions concerned with the regulation of employment”.
Since 1979, the British labour market and its industrial relations environment have changed dramatically. Therefore this paper explores various changes and evolutions in British Industrial relations. Industrial relations mean the relations between employees and employers. It is related with the industrial problems that are complicated and delicate. Some of the main causes of rapid increase in industrial problems are:
• Rapid increase in population of the
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This union developed along two lines (craft and industrial), Crafts union were an extension of the old guild system based on craftsmen skilled in particular trade (eg-carpenters). While Industrial unions were formed among unskilled workers on the mines and in heavy industry. Through the growth of its large membership, trade unions gained the ability to influence the election of government. The 19th and 20th century was characterised by extensive economic growth. During 1970s, two of the most distinctive features of British industrial relations were called into question. One was the informal way in which much bargaining was conducted and the other, the tradition of voluntarism under which collective bargaining was largely dissociated from the law. The collective agreements reached by these negotiations usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanism and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs. A considerable decentralisation of collective bargaining took place after the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979. The UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 and at the time the move was generally favoured by employers on the grounds and resisted by the unions. The increasing eminence of neo-liberal policy objectives in European commission has led many unionists to reassess their view of the
David Brody argues that the rise of contractual or collective bargaining relationships during the post WWII era formalized the relationship between employers and unions, but simultaneously began to put a break on shop floor activism. Explain Brody’s argument and, where relevant, incorporate Weber’s theory of bureaucracy.
The rise of industrialization and laissez faire were key constituents in the rise of labor unions; businesses were given more breathing room and had more influence in the economics than the government. Citizens were feuding the need to obtain better working hours, reasonable wages, and safer working conditions; this was mainly prompted by industrialization. The three most prominent labor unions in this time period were the American Railway labor(1890s), Knights of Labor (mid-1880s) and the National Labor Union (1866); they pushed forward forward
Unions were looked down upon and often scoffed at by factory owners. England even went through a period where unions were outlawed because of how liberal they were. People during the time of the Industrial Revolution were taken advantage of and were not paid as much as they should have been. One protester was set up at a train station protesting “against the triumph of machinery and the gain and glory which the wealthy. men were likely to derive from it,” (Document 2).
Deery, S. , Plowman, D. and Walsh, J. (2000), Industrial Relations, A Contemporary Analysis, McGraw Hill, Roseville.
Although factories allowed their skilled workers to keep their jobs, they expected them to take a pay cut. Also, with the pay cut, the skilled workers were forced to give up the skilled work that they took pride in. With workers becoming frustrated with not having freedom and, skilled workers not being treated fairly, unions were created. After factories became industrialized, trade unions were being created for workers with similar frustrations and views.
A more successful collective bargaining union was known as the American Federation of Labor (AFL) founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886. This organization focused on practical issues that involved craft unionization of skilled workers. The craft workers were successful in organizing because unlike the unskilled workers they could not be replaced easily. This union bargained for thing such as 8 hour work days, higher wages did not deal with social reforms. Women’s wages were not considered because the AFL dealt
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.
This means that a group of workers can unite to gain more power and leverage in bargaining. The bargaining process may include many aspects but usually consists of wages, benefits, terms and conditions of employment. The notion of union came about in the 1700's. In the beginning, as it is today, workers united to "defend the autonomy and dignity of the craftsman against the growing power of the company" (Montgomery). These early unions had many names including societies, social societies and guilds.
Blanpain, R and Bamber, G J. (2010). Comparative Labor Law and Industrial Relations in Industrialized Market Economies: Xth and Revised Edition. Alphen aan den Rijn: Kluwer Law International.
Dunlop(1958) argues that in the system of industrial relations, there are 3 major components in the system. There are the actors, the context and the common ideology. The actors consist of the employers and their organizations and employees and, if present, the groups that represent them and the state or government agencies. The second major component, the context, is the situation or environment that influences any decision or activity, this is usually technology, market constraints or distribution of power in the wider society. The common ideology, under which the purpose of this essay falls, can be seen as a binding idea or theory which the actors share for the purpose of stability in the system. Under the common ideology component, there are various conflicting theories or frames of reference.
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...
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).
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.
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.
The Marxist approach looks at industrial relations from a societal perspective. It views industrial relations as a small-scale version of a capitalist society. This approach surrounds itself with the assumption that industrial relations under capitalism are unavoidable, and thus would be a source of conflict. According to Marxist, industrial conflict is central to industrial relations, however actual altercations are uncommon. The approach also sees this as a form ...