Is Conflict Inevitable in the Employment Relationship?

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 2000, show that the decline in Australian union membership continues, despite the efforts of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), to stop the slide. The ABS reports that trade union membership has dropped to 28 percent of the total workforce, compared to 1992, where there was 40 percent. (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2000.)

A union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of work within the organization. In many occasions, unions help employees of an organization negotiate pay, benefits, flexible hours and other work conditions that may arise. Unions have a role because some degree of conflict is inevitable between workers and management (Noe, 2003). In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of unions and labor relations within an organization.

Causes of conflict in the work place can be due to various reasons, good examples of these would be

This essay will answer the three essay questions put forward. Firstly, it will briefly explain what is meant by employer militancy. It will outline the main features of the aggressive approach adopted by employers in their relations with trade unions since the 1980’s. Secondly, this essay will describe the changes in employer actions towards unions. It will outline the different phases that have

4 possible sources of conflict could be the individual themselves, family or friends, colleagues or policies.

Australia should develop a framework that provides greater balance in bargaining power between the parties, which encourages employment and that enhances economic efficiency. The (gov 2015) All in all, I find the workplace relations system in Australia to have some problems. Seen from another perspective, the labour market is works relatively good in comparison to global standards, such as the US. Labour market which seems good at first glance, but have a e.g. too low minimum wage, and is thus ineffective. Many features of the industrial relations in Australia work well enough. The employer and employee’s relationship is generally harmonious and productive, and there are some great aspects connected with the decentralized labour market such as greater productivity and that it is easier to tailor the wages and the condition to suit the individual workplace. On the other hand, I find that in many instances it is easier to take advantage and exploit the more vulnerable part when there is less governmental intervention. All in all, I think that Australia has come a far way, and that business should into a certain extent can set some of the terms and conditions of work at the individual workplace, but the state should have a role in employment relations as you most often hear of employers taking advantages of employees and not the other way

A union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of work within the organization. In many occasions, unions help employees of an organization negotiate pay, benefits, flexible hours and other work conditions that may arise. Unions have a role because some degree of conflict is inevitable between workers and management (Noe, 2003). In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of unions and labor relations within an organization.

The election of the Liberal Coalition Government saw the end of the Accords, centralised wage determination, and a lessening of the role of institutions (IRC, ACTU) in the wage determination processes. This new system lessened the power of unions by making it easier for workers to form enterprise unions. It deregulated the labour market by reducing the

The Employment Relations Act 2000 provides a framework for collective bargaining and gives unions its power to arrange better working conditions for union members through collective bargaining. The purpose of this report is to discuss and critique the existing law and proposed change under s 33 of the Employment Relations Act 2000. This report will first discuss perspectives of the political parties in relation to the theoretical perspectives on labour law. Secondly, I will express my own perspective on this matter. Currently, s 33 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 places a legal obligation upon parties’ collective agreement to conclude it negotiations. This means that employers must continue to bargain with unions until the collective negotiations has been concluded as a requirement of good faith in employment relationships. This is avoidable only in very limited circumstances where there is a genuine reason. This places employers in a difficult position where they are forced to bargain despite a deadlock. The National Government has taken a unitarist approach to employment law in respect of its proposed bill to abolish the requirement to conclude collective bargaining. National believes it will create more fairness, balance and flexibility in the labour market. On the other hand, the Labour party adopts a pluralist approach by strongly

The efforts by stakeholders to individualize employment relations have achieved a considerable level of success. This has benefited employers since negation of grievances will occur at the enterprise or industry level. Accordingly, this reduces the cost of possible increased expenditure on when the trade unions are involved. For instance, the coalition government leveraged massive efforts towards diminishing the role of

To begin with, it is important that we need to understand the different factors may lead to work-life conflict. Firstly, individual differences need to

Another actor of employment relationship is union, defined as “a continuous association of wage earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their working lives” (S&B Webb, 1898). The function of union which is let workers join together to organise a union and the union which can empower them in the employment relationship. Union also is “legitimate voice of employees” in bargaining with employers (Nankervis et al, 2005, p.555). Unions like Queensland Teachers Union, Transport Workers Union, Queensland Public Sector Union have been successful in Australia in achieving improved wages and working conditions for employees. People join the union is because of their dissatisfaction with economic aspects of the job, a desire to influence the work environment and also believes that benefits of unionism outweigh the expected cost. According to the case, it shows that health union are battling to secure next year’s pay rise for nurses against a background of public sector cuts. Moreover, in the case, Snow (2009) believes that the union it is appropriate that staff are rewarded through training and pay where there are significant improvements in quality and services.(p 7).Unions have previously called for staff to be rewarded for efficiency savings, but employers have been reluctant to introduce such measures. (Snow, 2009, p.7). From this we can see that union also pay an important role on involvement of managers and business

Representing unions attempted to ensure job security and secure bettered working conditions. The bargaining process was criticised for taking too long, as “AIPA and ALAE negotiations began in August 2010, and then in 2011 TWU had began bargaining”. (Brigden, 2012).

Young workers may have different work environment values than more established workers. The distinction in values isn't really the reason for employee dissonance ,but the inability to acknowledge the difference is. At the point when representatives neglect to acknowledge the differences, co-workers may offend each other's characters. At the point when insults happen, the contention escalates until the point that the correct arrangement is offered and acknowledged.

There are many different approaches and theories regarding industrial relations today and each one of them have different perspective and approach in resolving the conflict at work place. In order to understand and be able to analyze what are the good industrial relations, there is a need first to understand how the industrial relations are actually defined and what do they refer to. As explained by Barnetson, Lesson note 1, Introduction, “it is the relations between the labour and management”. This relations in Canadian capitalist economy includes labor market offer and demands where the“ workers agrees to provide their time and skills (labour) to the employers in exchange of wages and benefits” (Barnetson, Lesson 1, Employment in Capitalist Economy) in order to support themselves. Rules, procedures and practices are defined which oblige the employer and employee to act accordingly.