...contract or agreement is an important element of employment relations and it determines the pay, conditions of employment and way work is performed (Loudoun, et al., 2009). This paper will define collective and individual agreements, analyse the differences between them, examine the role of employee voice, trade union involvement and the role of the State and regulation of the industrial relations system. It will consider the impact of the agreements upon both employees and outcomes achieved by businesses and will make the argument that the most efficient and productive form of workplace arrangements for business are collective agreements. Collective Agreements Collective agreements are formal contracts that are negotiated between an employer and a group of employees that stipulate the terms and conditions of employment. This type of agreement exists in a more centralised industrial relations system, and this system is based upon compulsory conciliation and arbitration, a system that has been established since the Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1904. Collective agreements exist in a pluralist work relations environment. The pluralist theory identifies that there are different sources of authority and loyalty within organisations and that these sources may have differences of interest. Some interests may be in common between the employer and employees, but where there is a perception of inequality conflict can inevitably arise (Loudoun, et al., 2009). Collective Agreements...
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...------------------------------------------------- BMAN31090 Comparative Industrial Relations To what extent does the current EU framework provide the basis for the reconciliation of social and economic rights in the areas of EU freedoms, posting of workers and industrial action? Discuss with reference to the situation in at least three of the core countries. Introduction: Since the formation of the European Union in the 1950s, there has been a constant tension between the market aim of the union and social policy. The enlargement of the EU in 2004 and 2007 deepened even further these misalignments and in some respects it can be argued that a tension between new and old Member States started to emerge. Arnholtz and Mailand (2013) argues that the social dimension of the EU is as old as itself. Nonetheless it was not until the early 1980s that the European Union started to gradually develop a genuine social dimension to complement economic integration. This social dimension includes directives that are considered to be 'hard-law' as well as 'soft-law' which deal with aspects such as 'Open Methods of coordination' and the voluntary agreements of social partners. The aim of this paper is to discuss the implications of economic and social policies in the European labour market. In order to get the argument across, the emphasis will be put on four major legal cases that were interpreted by the European Court of Justice and the implications of the rulings on several member...
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...INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION ACT/EMP PUBLICATIONS INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES FOR EMPLOYERS AND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS Prepared by David Macdonald Senior Industrial Relations Specialist ILO/EASMAT Bangkok Paper presented at the ILO Workshop on Employers' Organizations in Asia-Pacific in the Twenty-First Century Turin, Italy, 5-13 May 1997. [Top] [Next] Table of Contents 1. Executive Summary 2. Introduction 3. Industrial Relations (IR) in the Global Context (a) IR - a definition (b) IR and HRM (c) Liberalization, globalization and IR (i) Overview (ii) The relevance of globalization to industrial relations - a summary (iii) The role of multinational corporations (MNC's) (iv) Information technology and IR (v) The impact of other trends (d) The changing nature of IR - a re-definition? 4. IR in Asia and the Pacific (a) The historical context (i) General (ii) Economic development and industrialization (iii) Industrialization and IR policies (iv) IR arrangements - regional divergence (v) Other considerations (b) The current environment (i) Overview 2 (ii) Current responses to liberalization and globalization (iii) Important regional trends 5. Responding to Current and Prospective IR challenges in Asia and the Pacific developing an agenda for employers and their organizations to facilitate transition to the Twenty-first century (a) Overview (b) General issues (i) Achieving competitiveness (ii) Effective IR is a key to improved enterprise performance (iii)...
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...Description of Paper This paper will be discussing the historical and legal framework which provides the foundations for the American system of labor and management relations. I will also be analyzing the actions of unions and management to determine basic compliance with the major U.S federal labor laws. I will also discuss the roles and responsibilities of key participants in the right to work state when compared to a non right to work state. Finally I will explain the process for organizing and for decertifying unions. Historical and Legal Framework for American Unions Labor Unions go back all the way to the development of America. Starting when the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620, several of the pilgrims were craftsmen. These were considered primitive unions, or guilds of not just carpenters but also cabinet makers, cordwainers and cobblers made their appearance as well. Although many early attempts at labor unions failed, during the 19th century and the start of the Industrial Revolution, workers preserved and began union traditions that continue today. The purpose of forming unions was so that members could speak out and seek fair solutions when it came to working conditions, to improve job security, and increase wages and fringe benefits without the fear of losing their jobs. The union is selected by the employee as their bargaining agent to represent their interest and what is best for them when it comes to negotiation and administration...
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...a detailed discussion on trade unions. Your discussion should include reasons why employees join trade unions, goals on trade unions, trade union structure and organisational effectiveness and closed shop and agency shop agreements. Darryl John Iyaloo Human Resource Management 311 (BBA) 28 April 2016 ABSTRACT This paper provides a detailed discussion on the South African Trade Union Movement. Using the case study of The Marikana Fallout, this paper will attempt to unpack why employees join trade unions, goals of the trade unions, trade union structure and organisational effectiveness, closed shop and agency shop agreements. 1. Introduction 2. The South African Trade Union Movement: A Brief History 3. The Case of The Marikana Fallout 4. The Reasons Why Employees Join Trade Unions 5. Goals Of The Trade Unions 6. Trade Unions Structure and Organisational Effectiveness 7. Closed Shop and Agency Shop Agreements 8.1 Closed Shop Agreements 8.2 Agency Shop Agreements 8. Conclusion 9. References 1. Introduction As an upper middle-income country within Africa and the continent’s largest economy, South Africa often attracts specific interest in terms of its economic growth and development dynamics. This is of course also in part a function of the country’s unique history, based on the notorious system of apartheid. Often under-appreciated is the extent to which...
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...Economics Available online at www.managementjournal.info RESEARCH ARTICLE Industrial Relations System as a Factor of Tripartite Consultation Influencing the Performance of State Corporations in Kenya Nzioki S*, Mukulu E Department of Human Resource Management, School of Human Resource Development, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya. *Corresponding Author: Email: sknzioki@yahoo.com Abstract The study sought to establish the effect of Industrial relations system in Kenya on the performance of state corporations. Methodology: Data was obtained through a descriptive design involving 279 employees both unionized and non-unionized of state corporations in Nairobi County. A structured questionnaire with likert scale questions was used to collect data from the selected subjects of the study. Interviews were also conducted with human resource managers/ employee relations officers, shop floor union officials, officers of the Ministry of Labour, officers of Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), officers of Central Organizations of Trade Unions, Kenya. The study used the Dunlop’s systems model credited with the application of the systems approach to Industrial Relations (IR). The model explains the input acquisition, input transformation, output and feedback to explain the process of Kenyan Industrial Relations System. Finding: The study found that there existed a prescribed Industrial Relations System in Kenya, but its adherence had been faced with a lot of challenges...
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...Current Status and Evolution of Industrial Relations System in Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Al Faruque Dr. Abdullah Al Faruque is an Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Law, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Dr. Faruque is a Commonwealth Scholar and holds a PhD from University of Dundee. He is a specialist in labour law, petroleum contracts and environmental regulation. An author of a book, Dr. Faruque has also written several articles in reputed law journals both in Bangladesh and abroad. Copyright © International Labour Organization 2009 First published 2009 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to the ILO Publications Bureau (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered in the United Kingdom with the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T4LP/ [Fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500; email: cla@cla.co.uk], in the United States with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 [Fax: (+1)978 750 4470; email: info@copyright.com], or in other countries with associated Reproduction Rights Organizations, may take...
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...New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 11, 1 (June 2009): 304-317. EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS IN MALAYSIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE MAIMUNAH AMINUDDIN1 Independent Scholar Introduction This paper offers an overview of the employment relations framework in Malaysia, focusing on the current status of three key areas central to the employment relations system, namely, the strength of the trade union movement, security of employment for employees, and the state’s position on measures to deal with sexual harassment. It will only examine these subsystems of the employment relations system as they apply in the private sector where the majority of employees work, this sector is considered the main driver of Malaysia’s economy. The Trade Union Movement The relationship between employers and employees in Malaysia is regulated by a number of laws which were introduced prior to independence (1957) and in the first decade immediately thereafter. The colonial economy prior to World War II (1939-45) was based on tin mining and rubber plantations. The need for labour in these two industries changed the human landscape of Malaysia (Malaya as it then was) for ever. The colonial government either allowed or actively encouraged the importation of labour from China and India, thus creating the multi-racial society which is Malaysia today. The wages of this growing group of employees were low and working conditions were mostly abysmal. Jomo and Todd explained the lack of governmental ...
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...------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Search Terms: Bottom of Form You are here: Eurofound > EIROnline > 2004 > 11 > Industrial relations in Japan 2003-4My Eurofound: Login or Sign Up Industrial relations in Japan 2003-4 This record reviews 2003-4's main developments in industrial relations in Japan, and focuses on the topical issues of migration and pensions reform. Economic developments In 2003, Japan's GDP fell by 0.1% over 2002 in nominal terms, but increased by 2.5% in real terms, which significantly exceeded the real growth rate in 2002 (a fall of 0.3%). Private demand, especially private capital investment, showed significant growth of 9.3% (after a fall of 7.2% in 2002). Due to the recovery in overseas economic conditions, Japan's exports also rose by 10.1%, exceeding the 2002 level (8.0%). On the other hand, private final consumption expenditure remained virtually flat in 2003, with only 0.8% growth on the preceding year's level (0.9%). Conversely, public demand shrank by 2.1% (due to a reduction in public works). According to the Cabinet Office's 2004 'Annual Report on Japanese economy and public finance/economic survey of Japan', Japan's economic growth in 2003 can be attributed to: i) increased private demand; ii) improvements in corporate financial positions through reduction of excessive debt and employment; and iii) the brisk performance of Japan's stronger industrial sectors, such as digital consumer electronics. Japan's...
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...Tripartism and Social Dialogue In Singapore Michael Heng International Labour Office, Bangkok 2008 ii Foreword This paper on tripartism and social dialogue in Singapore is intended to highlight Singapore‟s industrial relations system in general and, in particular, the extent to which industrial relations actors, social institutions and legislation are aligned through social and labour policies to create a sustainable climate of industrial peace and harmony that helps maintain the City State‟s global competitiveness. This analysis of Singapore‟s success story is part of a comparative study of national systems of tripartism and social dialogue, intended to cull good practices that may be adapted and adopted in other countries of the region. iii iv Contents Foreword iii 1. Singapore’s Labour Force, Labour Institutions and Key Labour Laws Singapore’s labour force and employment in brief Trade union membership Labour institutions Ministry of Manpower Industrial Arbitration Court Trade unions Singapore National Employers Federation Key labour laws and collective bargaining The Employment Act The Industrial Relations Act The Trade Unions Act The Trade Disputes Act The collective bargaining process (enterprise level) Disputes settlement through conciliation and arbitration 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 7 8 8 10 11 2. Tripartite Social Dialogue Bodies 13 3. Tripartism and Social Dialogue National Wages Council Central...
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...crime and gangsters like Jimmy Hoffa. To others, labor unions represent solidarity among the working classes, bringing people together across many professions to lobby for better rights, wages and benefits. As of 2006, 15.4 million people were union members, and although union membership peaked in 1945 when 35 percent of the nonagricultural workforce were union members, unions are still a powerful influence in the United States (and even more powerful in many other countries). (Silverman, J., 2012) They are also an important and fundamental part of the history of United States commerce and the country’s growth into an economic powerhouse. Unions began forming in the mid-19th century in response to the social and economic impact of the industrial revolution. National labor unions began to form in the post-Civil War Era. The Knights of Labor emerged as a major force in the late 1880s, but it collapsed because of poor organization, lack of effective leadership, disagreement over goals, and strong opposition from employers and government forces. (Silverman, J., 2012) The American Federation of Labor, founded in 1886 and led by Samuel Gompers until his death in 1924, proved much more durable. It arose as a loose coalition of various local unions. (Silverman, J., 2012) It helped coordinate and support strikes and eventually became a major player in national politics, usually on the side of the Democrats. American labor unions benefitted greatly from the New Deal policies of Franklin...
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...workplace: Why it is important and why a new public policy initiative is needed Provocation Series Volume 2 Number 3 Professor Paul Edwards FBA, Industrial Relations Research Unit, Warwick Business School and Senior Fellow, Advanced Institute of Management Research Justice in the workplace Contents Executive summary 3 Introduction 6 Job quality and limited success in dealing with it 8 The proposals: building workplace justice 13 Workplace justice 19 Limits to legally based solutions 24 Labour market and employer-led changes 27 Constraints and possibilities 31 Concluding remarks 39 References 42 Notes 45 Acknowledgements The help and encouragement of Keith Sisson have been crucial to the production of this paper, which is a completely revised version of the 2005 Annual Employment Relations Lecture, Keele University. I am grateful to colleagues at Keele and to the audience there, and also to David Coats and Paul Marginson, for comments and suggestions. I take sole responsibility for the views expressed. 2 Justice in the workplace Executive summary The goal of improving fairness in the workplace has been central to UK public policy since 1997. For rather longer, companies have spoken of employee empowerment through such things as teamwork. Much has been done in both areas, but major concerns remain. In relation to fairness, employee rights give entitlements, but these rights also need to be meaningful and effective. In the workplace, the take-up of empowerment...
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...Introduction Industrial conflict is caused by the disputes and disagreements between the employees and employers in the working environment. Such conflicts can be manifested into covert or overt industrial actions. In Singapore, industrial conflict is greatly suppressed due to government intervention and trade unions. Instead of displaying resistance as a group, forms of covert industrial actions are expressed individually among workers such as absenteeism, low work productivity, attempts in sabotage and various forms of unpleasant conduct to show their dissatisfaction. (Petzall et al. 2007) Overt or collective actions such as strikes and other movements of resistance have gradually ceased to exist in Singapore due to the combination efforts of the government and the tripartite alliance as well as the transformation of its labour movement. In contrast with the past, it is evident that Singapore has turned about its condition from inactive trade unions to establishing employment laws and trade union movement. Take the case of the Hock Lee bus strike in 1955 which escalated into a bus riot, causing four people to be killed and thirty-one injured (National Trades Union Congress 2011). This was a collective form of industrial conflict. After going through political changes and the introduction of collective bargaining through the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), such overt actions were visibly reduced. However, this does not mean that workers do not have their dissatisfaction...
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...WORKERS’ PARTICIPATION IN MANAGEMENT (I) (i) Introduction: Three groups of managerial decisions affect the workers of any industrial establishment and hence the workers must have a say in it. • Economic decisions – methods of manufacturing, automation, shutdown, lay-offs, and mergers. • Personnel decisions – recruitment and selection, promotions, demotions, transfers, grievance settlement, work distribution. • Social decisions – hours of work, welfare measures, questions affecting work rules and conduct of individual worker’s safety, health, and sanitation and noise control. Participation basically means sharing the decision-making power with the lower ranks of the organization in an appropriate manner. Definitions: The concept of WPM is a broad and complex one. Depending on the socio-political environment and cultural conditions, the scope and contents of participation change. International Institute of Labour Studies: WPM is the participation resulting from the practices which increase the scope for employees’ share of influence in decision-making at different tiers of organizational hierarchy with concomitant (related) assumption of responsibility. ILO: Workers’ participation, may broadly be taken to cover all terms of association of workers and their representatives with the decision-making process, ranging from exchange of information, consultations, decisions and negotiations, to more institutionalized forms such as the presence of workers’...
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...Question 3 – Human Resource Management 2013 Exam ‘The objective of the employment relationship is to achieve a balance between efficiency, equity and voice’. Discuss. Answer Employment relationship also known as industrial relations or employment relations is a link between an employer and an employee. The International Labour Organistaion defines the employment relationship as “ a universal notion which creates a legal link between a person, called the ‘employee’ (frequently referred to as ‘the worker’ with another person, called the ‘employer’, to whom she or he provides labour or services under certain conditions in return for remunerations.” (ILO 2003:2) Another definition by the popular business website ‘Entrepreneur’ defines an employment relationship as “An agreement entered into between an employer and an employee at the time the employee is hired that outlines the exact nature of their business relationship, specifically what compensation the employee will receive in exchange for specific work performed.” The aim of human resource management is to ensure that through the employment relationship organisations should achieve competitive advantages and employees on the other hand, should receive a fair treatment in the workplace. In this light, many human resource management writers like John Budd have agreed that balancing efficiency, equity and voice should be the focus of organistions in order to have a more productive workplace. Budd (2004) cited in Marchington...
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