Employment Relations- Industrial Conflict
Industrial conflict is concerned with how individuals, groups, institutions and organisations make decisions that have an effect on the employment relationship between management and labour. There are many factors within a business that may cause industrial conflict. Wage demands are a major cause of dispute within businesses; employers wish to earn enough to ensure that they can have a quality standard of living. Employers see wages as an expense that they wish to minimise to be able to achieve higher profits within there business. Working conditions which includes hours of work, leave, pensions and compensations is also a cause of industrial conflict. Management decisions can create industrial conflict especially when there are large changes made to the businesses structure or operations that are announced without consultation with employees. Political goals and social issues are a factor influencing industrial conflict but they are less common. The perspectives on conflict include unitary, pluralist and radical. Employees with a unitary perspective believe that with successful management policies the workplace will be characterised by harmony not conflict. The pluralist view suggests that conflict should be resolved by the government and independent through the industrial tribunals. The radical view involves governments been seen as on the same side as the business and therefore unable to resolve conflict within the business. Industrial action in a business is a sign of poor employment relations and can be divided into two group’s overt action and covert action. Examples of Overt Action can include; Lockouts, pickets, strikes, bans, work-to-rule and transfers. Covert Action includes; Absenteeism, sabotage, turnover rates and exclusion from decision making. The Dispute resolution process involves; Conciliation, arbitration, grievance procedures, negotiation, mediation, common law action and business/division...