Employer Relation: Qantas Airways Industrial Conflict Media Analysis

On October 22nd, 2001, the Industrial dispute between QANTAS and its employees was initiated with the offering of a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. This proposed an 18-month wage freeze for employees plus a sliding scale profit share scheme. Ten out of twelve unions under QANTAS accepted the terms of the agreement, barring the unions of manufacturing employees (AWU and AMWU). They were holding out for a 4-6% pay rise. On the 8th May 2002, some ten months later, the dispute was resolved when QANTAS agreed to an across the board 6% pay increase. This essay provides an in-depth analysis into the dispute, including causes, the resolution process, the role of stakeholders, and costs and benefits for all concerned.

A worker at Tesco PLC may have conflicts with the owners due to not reinvesting profits in the wrong way such as reinvesting profits into the products such as food. So, then Tesco PLC can sell more higher quality products such as the food to their customers. While this is a conflict as the workers would want to have profits reinvested into their wages instead. Another conflict may be with the managers over their treatments. For example, not being fair to the workers on working times. This is a conflict because of the workers wanting different to what the managers want. Also, a conflict may be with the customers over the quality of service given. For example, workers or customers being

Conflicts are realities of life and can be defined as a “situation of competition in which the parties involved are quite aware of the incompatibility of future condition whereby each party wishes to occupy a position that is incompatible with the wishes of the other” (Olu & Adesubomi, 2013, p. 2). They have no boundaries. They occur whether we like it or not, especially when there is disagreement and misunderstanding which stands as major key characteristics of human relationships. The relationship could be domestic, national, or international (Spiroska, 2014). Furthermore, conflicts happen when people are incompatible. In the organizational setting, conflict could arise due to failure of the employer, not honoring certain agreed bargaining. Henry (2009) indicated that if the workers’ right and prerogative is not appropriated rightly, it could cause conflict; such workers’

By outsourcing, Qantas is able to significantly reduce costs and maintain it’s competitive advantage. However this advantage also has a draw back, hundreds of engineers have also been cut from their jobs and have had their jobs given to people overseas. This puts a bad reputation on the name of the business as an Australian business will cut jobs from Australian workers and supple foreign workers with jobs. Families and friends of these workers may feel resentment towards Qantas and choose to travel with another airline instead resulting in a loss of customers. This strategy has been effective in reducing cost but has resulted in a reduction of quality and safety and led to a decreased business reputation resulting in a loss of customers and stakeholders.

Todd (2012) has interviewed employer association representatives and examined their public statements and submissions. From her research, she questions whether the changes to the industrial relations system that employer associations advocate would enhance productivity. With regard to issues such as penalty rates and job security, there is evidence that these relate to cost cutting and enhanced managerial prerogative rather than productivity. Discuss

From this perspective, trade union is perceived not necessary and the role of it is creating conflict, and it is seen an unwelcome intrusion into the organization from outside competing with management for the loyalty of employees (Rose, 2004). Trade unions exist either as the result of wickedness or perverseness of individual employees, or because of a failure of management to anticipate and incorporate worker needs and concerns (Bray, Deery, Walsh and Waring, 2005).

The Qantas Airways is the largest airline in Australia. Its Human Resource Management operates in the company in four major areas, which are business segments, corporate, shared services, development, and learning. This report gives limelight to the Qantas airways HRM and its role in ensuring perfect operations of the company. It further discusses change management and job analysis and design. The company has undergone intensive change management such as cutting of prices and labor costs in order to ensure high productivity, moderation of wages as well as the introduction of flexible structures through a versatile and motivated workforce. Moreover, the HRM is also responsible of ensuring that right people are hired and

In fact, the unitarist management views trade/Labor unions and government-mandated Labor standards as unnecessary. If management is applying effective policies and has good communication with its employees then conflict will not be an issue, hence conflict is seen as a result of poor management. Management with this frame of reference tend to be against unions and government intervention hence will not want unions in their workplace. However, many manager and employees tend to see their workplace or firms in unitary term and are happy with their situations. So in order to avoid conflict management will provide a better working environment, decent wages and work flexibility. However, this perspective is market based because if the company with these frame of reference have goals that are not met, maximisation of profit, then they will tend to cut cost in order to meet this goal. This will lead to several cuts in the workplace such as bonuses, paid leaves and so on.

The Aussie Air negotiations were a series of five-party talks between Down Under Air (DUA), the Aussie Air Shareholders (AAS), Aussie Air Management, the Federal Government and the Aussie Air Workers’ Unions. I was the united unions’ spokesperson for the negotiations, representing their interests in order of priority: job security, current management’s contract length and stock prices. This paper will review the contents of the negotiations, relating them to key ideas and concepts gleaned from research and lectures through thorough reflection and critical analysis. It will discuss the success of the negotiations, the tactics used to claim value, the methodology of creating value, and the revision of strategies with dynamic relationships as new information emerged. It will also examine the politics of coalitions formed and the observations of cognitive biases and emotions.

In the Romano Pitesti case, Tickton-Jones’ Management Team is faced with a situation that is not altogether uncommon in the business world, in that some employees feel that members of the Sales staff are being given “special” treatment by the company. Romano’s actions have probably not been as bad as what has been described to Management, but due to the fact that employees are still trying to find their place in the new, combined company, any hint of “unfairness” is immediately put under a microscope by other employees, and therefore, Management will have to take some sort of action, in order to show the other employees that their concerns are being taken seriously.

The managers in this case are all free to take harsh and biased decisions for meeting their own personal interest (Cully 1999; Kessler 2003). Because of this, it will create negative environment and as a result employees will not be able to work efficiently. Even if the organisation is not supporting conflicts; proper management should work on creating competitive working environment with the presence of any such conflicts. If they fail, it shows that the organisation is unable to understand how to connect employee and organisation objective in an effective

Low morale among employees in any company eventually leads to decreased profits with other factors of the business decreasing along the way. “And US Airways employees, who have seen their pay cut by more than 20 percent and their health insurance and pension plans shrink, are certainly an unhappy lot” (Claudia H. Deutsch). In order to increase profits, the airline has decreased pay and took away some of the earned vacation. “Company executives say they are taking steps that will improve working conditions and profitability” (Claudia H. Deutsch). Many employees were calling in sick which the company believed would eventually lead to poor customer service.

Throughout history there have been many successful companies as well as companies that have been a debacle. The success of the company has to do with the management and how it executes its strategy. If the management is ineffective, the company will most likely fail; however, if the company has good management it is more likely to prosper. There are many responsibilities that a manager must complete, chief among them are the four functions of management are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (PowerPoint). In order for the company to be successful the management must fulfill all four functions. In some case not all four functions are met to expectation, with the results that the company to be not as successful as it could be if they

The relationship between employers and employees has long been the subject of widespread study and debate within the business world. This employment relationship can be defined as a complex system in which social, economic and political factors combine with an employee who exchanges mental and manual labour for rewards allocated by the employer (Encarta Encyclopaedia Deluxe. 2004). Industrial relations and human resource management advocates have traditionally held different views on the subject of organisational conflict. Many authors have argued that organisational conflict is inevitable in most work settings and that the employment relationship is essentially a trade-off ground (Alexander and Lewer, 1998; Deery, Plowman, Walsh and Brown

The employees are a big part of the company and they should stay together in order to solve the crisis. For example in the second problem that Coke confronted was because of their employees.