Final project report of

LABOUR RELATIONS

Submitted to:- Brian Bonnar

Email:- b.bonnar@slc-alpha.ca

Submitted By:- Gurvinder Singh Bhatti (4302536)

Introduction

Labor unions have been protecting the rights of workers as far back as the 18th century. It’s

because of collective bargaining and worker protests that some work forces today enjoy the right

to argue for wage increases, access affordable healthcare, and improved working conditions within

the workplace among many other achievements. Labor Day, a public holiday celebrated in many

countries at various times of the year, was created at the insistence of organized labor unions. But

labor unions and industry have had a very fraught relationship with each other, especially in times

of large-scale industrial transformation. As we face the dawn of "Industry 4.0," a term experts use

to refer to the era of automation, the purpose of labor unions is being questioned.

Labour union challenges

The most important challenges unions from developed countries are facing today are globalization

and international competition; demographic changes through migration and an ageing workforce;

technological changes via elements like the sharing economy and digital innovation like

automation; and the impact of climate change on jobs and the environment. Challenges are

discussed in details as follow-

Globalization- Globalization has proved a complex and multi-faceted process for workers around

the world, crucial issues facing the trade union movement and how new policies are being shaped

to improve alliance-building, international collaboration and the promotion of the adoption of

international labour standards during this period of face-paced change. The Global Market Trade

Unionism's Greatest Challenge," lays out an impressive agenda for trade unions in a rapidly
changing globalized world. Mass unemployment and poverty are an intolerable waste of resources

and a dangerous threat to social cohesion

Demographic changes- The demographic makeup of the workplace is undergoing a dramatic shift.

Baby boomers are finally starting to retire, and millennials are arriving with new and different

expectations. Although grossly generalized, these cohorts bring different experiences and have

very different expectations and needs. With the end of mandatory retirement, many baby boomers

choose to continue working far past 65. As the workplace ages, employers are faced with more

problems regarding disability management and are also concerned that when the boomers leave,

they will take vast repositories of knowledge and experience with them.

Political involvement- Progressive unions are using their history of activism and political

involvement to position themselves as an alternate choice for younger workers who feel

disenfranchised with the status quo.Younger people are less likely to be unionized and that number

is in decline. There are many theories as to why. Some suggest millennials want to maintain control

over the terms of their work relationships and build in flexibility.

Technology- Artificial intelligence (AI) will be the next technological wave to impact the

workforce, and there are many knowledge-based jobs that could be replaced. With significant

technological advancements on the horizon, the future workplace may be completely different than

today.

Legal regulation- has moved from the protection of the tangible (such as minimum wages and

hours of work) to the intangible (such as injury to dignity or privacy interests).

Cost- There have been an increasing number of interesting complaints related to workplace

situations with the decline in labour-servicing mass production, it has become more costly for

unions to properly serve members. As a result, unions have to find new ways to communicate and

support members who are often scattered in locations across a jurisdiction.

What strategies can unions use to adapt to changing work arrangements? Do you think these

strategies will be effective? Why?

The development of a national on-line workplace survey that workers can use to rate employers as

places to work, and then publish the results widely on an. Ranking the quality of employers in an

industry and region would provide workers a new source of power — one that is more widely

accessible and more productive than a strike.

The best employers and worker organizations could build partnerships that nurture employee

engagement. Workers respond well to these partnerships — despite some traditionalist union

leaders who argue that all employers are manipulators who can’t be trusted. Workers know better.

They can tell good supervisors, managers, and employers from bad ones.

New lifetime membership models could be created to help members navigate the 7 to10 job

transitions they will likely make over the course of their careers, and provide them with education

and training to keep skills marketable. Employers might view them not as adversaries but as

preferred suppliers of talent — at least as good as current temp agencies and other recruitment

channels.
How can social media help unions better organize and adapt to changes in the workplace and

workforce?

The social media is a very powerful thing. It allows unions to have intimate, personal conversations

with hundreds, if not thousands of members, potential members and supporters. No longer are

unions reliant on the old forms of media, news papers, television, radio, or on face-to-face

conversations between organisers and workers. Social media allows for unmediated

communication and dialogue across vast distances, and at any time of the day or night. Unions can

now campaign globally, raise awareness of issues locally or build support from non-traditional

regions or geographic areas. Unions can utilise very powerful and flexible social networking tools,

but like any organising and campaign tool, they must be used properly. Tools such as Facebook

and Twitter should not be just an afterthought. A union cannot just set up a Twitter account, make

one or two “tweets”, and then expect hundreds of its members to start “following”. Like any

endeavour, the effective use of social networking requires practice, and trial-and-error. Consumers

of social media can interact with corporate and commercial users that have a high standard of

professionalism. If a union is going to start using social media, it must be prepared to invest time

and resources to do so properly.

Is the decline of unions in Canada inevitable or can they remain viable in this changing work

environment?

Nearly 30% of Canadian workers belong to unions, including, nurses, teachers, journalists and

professional athletes, as well as the more traditionally unionized occupations like retail store

clerks, manufacturing workers, miners, electricians and other construction trades workers. All in

all, about four million Canadian workers belong to a union. Unions in Canada are regulated by
federal and provincial legislation. They are required by law to be democratic and financially

accountable to their members. All unions have constitutions that must be registered with

government labour boards. There are well over a hundred different unions in Canada, One way

unions can upgrade their image is by removing rules that benefit older employees to the

disadvantage of younger workers, Seniority rules work against young workers ,explaining that

young and recent hires are more likely to be laid off, get precarious shifts, fewer vacation days,

and be passed up for promotions. One way unions can upgrade their image is by removing rules

that benefit older employees to the disadvantage of younger workers,

Conclusion

It is very simple to understand that the trend of labour unions has been changed from last couple

of years due the different challenges that faced by the labour unions. In the new automation era

and globalization that expand the horizons of the unions worldwide. It create lot problems to

operate union internationally. Despite the downward trend, the worst-case scenario is rarely

contemplated: What would happen if unions actually disappeared entirely? It might seem like a

crazy proposition, since polling data shows young people are high on organized labor. On the other

hand, breaking unions is pretty clearly an end desired by the right-wing billionaires dictating who

gets to serve as judges in the courts and hold elected office.

 works cited

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaviguppta/2016/10/12/will-labor-unions-survive-in-the-era-of-

automation/#4e0705b03b22

A review by the Global Union Research Network, 2007, ISBN 978-92-2-119860-4

https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_087711/lang--en/index.htm

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2015/09/28/04/53/spmds9613

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2013/02/04/union-innovation-thomas-kochan

http://www.back2ourfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Social_Media_For_Unions.pdf