Employee Relations

Employee Relations

Employee Relations

Task 1.

In the following situation, the management is acting as a unitarist one by imposing its decisions on its employees rather than introducing measures after taking them into confidence. The unitarist management feels it has the right to decide the working conditions unilaterally and impose them on the employees. The employees' resentment is evident as they have decided to resort to strike for removal of their grievances. The management is also resisting steps taken by the employees to advance their interest which is different from those of the management by calling in conciliation service Acas to render futile any action of the strike. Similar to a unitary frame, the employers here have exercised the right to coerce their authority. (McCourt & Eldridge, 2003, Pp 312).

There are inequalities of power between the employees and the management that has resulted in the generation of a conflict (Kessler and Purcell, 2003, Pp 315).

The management has exerted their power by imposing the new sick policy over the workers. However, in this case the employees instead of accepting the decision of the management have chosen to defy it.

The management is acting contrary to the pluralist frame of reference as it is refusing to recognize the employees' point of view in running the organization. Even though it claims wanting to settle the dispute through talks, the standoff would not have initiated had they been willing to bargain or negotiate with the employees as it is in the case of pluralist frame of reference. The calling in of Acas services points to the management's intention not giving into demands of the employees and its resolve of moving ahead with their decisions (McCourt & Eldridge, 2003, Pp 312).

There has been a great change in the role of trade unions and the effects it had on the employee relations. Membership of trade unions has declined in the past two decades. The reasons for the decline are the rise in unemployment, a fall in the employment of workers in manufacturing industries where union membership has historically been high, increasing number of part-time hired people and a fall in full time employment. There have also been instances of hostile legislation. Laws have been introduced making it difficult for unions to operate and keep their members integrated. This has inhibited the growth of trade unions. Part time workers tend not to be part of unions.

The participation of unions has led to challenge management authority resulting in the division of loyalties. Trade unions have changed to be a useful channel of communication. However, in greater perspective, they are not considered necessary anymore and organisations that assume this perspective discourage unions within their organisations.

All these changes have seriously undermined the abilities of the unions and the employees found having their direct relationship with their employers increased.

The management is trying to impose a single source of authority in organisation that is the management, which is similar to the unitarist approach (Ross and Bamber, 2009, Pp ...