STUDENT ZONE

Chapter 11
Union-management relations
CHAPTER OVERVIE
Chapter 11 covers the collective union-management relations. The chapter examines
managements industrial relations strategies, employees union organization, and
collective bargaining; it concludes with coverage o the debate on !"# and trade unions.
Chapter objectives
$ter studying this chapter, you should be able to%

&escribe contemporary trends in union-management relations.
'xplain and critically evaluate dierent types o union-managerial strategy
'xplain the pattern o trade-union membership and union structure.
(nderstand the nature and importance o collective bargaining.
&escribe the core legal principles relating to union-management relations
Critically evaluate the importance o )new unionism and )partnership or union-
management relations.
CHAPTER OUT!INE
Intro"#$tion
&ebate over the terminology * )industrial relations, )labour relations, )employment
relations or )union-management relations. Terms used interchangeably in chapter, but
chapter title ma+es it clear that the ocus is on organized labour and management
relations.
Critical literature presents the !"# model as being inconsistent with traditional
industrial relations. The debate has been inluenced by political-legal developments in
(, and (-. .uestions posed include, Can an employee be committed both to their
employers goals and the unions goals simultaneously/ 0s dual commitment possible/
Can trade unions and !"# coexist/ To begin answering these 1uestions the
contemporary trends in union-management relations are critically evaluated.
Union-management relations
0ndustrial relations are deined as the process o control over the employment
relationship, the organization o wor+, and relations between employers and their
employees.
0ndustrial relations activities inluence +ey elements o the !"# model shown in chapter
1, igure 1.2% recruitment and selection, !"&, rewards, and have typically opposed
employee appraisal.
Contemporary management control strategies over the employment relationship involves
$hoi$es and $onstraints%
&anagement strategies
'mployers can adopt a variety o strategies or dealing with trade unions. Three )pure
industrial relations strategies are discussed%
union acceptance strategy
union replacement strategy
union avoidance strategy
HR& in pra$ti$e 11%1
This case, )3al-#art wor+ers vote or union, illustrates one management strategy at the
beginning o the 41st century towards Canadian unions.
Choice o strategy depends upon the interrelationship between constraints and strategic
choice, and management goals.
Tra"e #nions
To appreciate unions response to !"#, it is important not only to understand what
unctions unions serve and how they are structured, but some o the problems they ace
recruiting and organizing in the wor+place.
The material covered in this section o the chapter is airly conventional, data on
aggregate union membership and union density are provided 5see table 11.16.
Interpreting tra"e #nion "e$line
7ariations in the rate o (, unionization are explained through six variables%
8usiness cycle
9ublic policy
3or+ and organizational design
0ndustrial restructuring
'mployer policies
(nion leadership
Tra"e #nion str#$t#re
-tructure describes the external shape o unions. The traditional classiication o unions
5crat, industrial, general6 is redundant. :ver hal o (, union members are in the top
our unions 5see table 11.;6.
Union 'argaining po(er
-tri+e activity is one indicator o union power. -tri+es over the last two decades have
allen 5see igure 11.16.
Colle$ti)e 'argaining
Definition: $ rule ma+ing process including, substantive rules 5e.g. pay and hours o
wor+6 and procedural rules 5e.g. grievance handling6.
Collective bargaining structure deines the scope o employers and employees covered
by the collective agreement. #ulti-employer v. single employer bargaining. 8argaining
over pay is no longer the norm in 8ritain 5see table 11.;6.
Direct collective bargaining coverage in selected countries is shown in table 11.<.
Collective agreements in the UK, unli+e many '( states and =orth $merica, are not
legally binding. The content o agreements varies widely.
Strategic choice and collective bargaining draws attention to the advantages and
disadvantages o centralized bargaining. '.g. decentralized single-employer collective
bargaining can, it is claimed, tailor an agreement to the speciic needs o the
establishment.
Tra"e #nions an" HR&
or*er $ommitment - !"# model depicted as )unitary. 0t assumes that the employer
and wor+er share common goals. The !"# goal o )employee commitment has led
writers rom both ends o the political spectrum to argue that there is a basic
contradiction between the normative !"# model and trade unions
Commitment concept is problematic% Commitment to what/ 9luralist model )dual
commitment is possible.
Tra"e #nion+s strategi$ responses - !"# model appears to pose a threat to trade unions
in at least our ways%
a6 individualization o the employment contract 5e.g. pay or perormance6
b6 demise of union representation (e.g. owing to '0 schemes6
c6 intensification of work (new >ob designs6
d6 demise of solidaristic collectivism 5owning to clan control and?or organizational
commitment goals6
(nions have adopted dierent responses to perceived challenges 5a to d above6. -everal
reasons account or this phenomenon. @irst, unions are $omple, organi-ations with
dierent political orientations and strategies. -econd, responses conditioned by
experience o new management initiatives. Third, response contingent on whether )hard
or )sot models are implemented by management.
HR& in pra$ti$e 11%. -)eware the damage one cannot see this case reports on the
potential long-term eects o a stri+e on employment relations.
Union strategies/ Partnership an" para"o,0
Trade unions are complex organizations and as with management strategies, trade unions
have adopted dierent strategic responses to changes in capitalist countries. Two
dominant strategic approaches or the renewal o unions are examined%
a6 :rganizing strategy
b6 9artnership strategy
The )social partnership strategy has at least six +ey principles, see @igure 11.4
HR& in pra$ti$e 11%1
This case, )"elationships the +ey to corporate success in 4A4A, reports on the potential
beneits o union-management partnerships.
-tudies suggest that there are potential beneits and costs o a partnership strategy 5see
table 11.B6.
!egal $onte,t o2 #nion-management relations
Collective labour law is an aspect o union-management relations that interacts with the
institutions, processes 5e.g. collective bargaining, stri+es and grievance handling6 and
behaviour o the +ey )actors in the system.
,ey (, legislation aecting union-management relations in (, is shown in table 11.C.
EN3A3IN3 IN CRITICA! THIN4IN3

RE5!ECTIVE 6UESTION7ESSA8 6UESTION
3hy are trade unions sceptical about the !"# model/
HE!P
This 1uestion re1uires you to demonstrate that you understand why trade unions exist and
what unctions they serve in the wor+place. 0t also re1uires +nowledge o the principles
o trade unionism; or instance, the idea that rights and improvements are negotiated
collectively or the whole group. (nions see+ to inluence all elements o the !"# cycle.
Dour answer should explore how !"# appears to contradict the collective logic o trade
unions and how dierent unions have developed dierent strategic responses to this
management initiative depending upon their experience, and how they perceive the threat
o !"#. @inally, a comprehensive answer would discuss how some )sot !"# practices
5e.g. investment in wor+place learning6 could bring mutual beneits 5see pp. EFC-E;2 in
the textboo+6
CHAPTER CASE/ EAST 8OR4SHIRE COUNCI!
This case identiies some typical issues that are placed on the negotiating table by union
representatives when managers see+ technical change.

STUD8 TIP
The growing interest in !"# over the last two decades coincided with a decline in
membership and inluence o trade unions in 8ritain and the (.-. =ot surprisingly
perhaps, a number o writers have lin+ed these two developments together positing that
!"# contributed to the decline o trade unions. @or a discussion on this see &avid
Guests latest chapter, )!"#, trade unions, and industrial relations, in #abeys et al
5eds6 1CCBa reader.