Select any ONE U.K.trade union. Explore their current levels of membership, and services for members and critically examine theoretical analysis for this current position and activity within the Employee Relations literature.
MANAGING BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS 4HRB601 Semester 1, 2004/5 Assignment deadline 18th November 2004 Tutor: Elizabeth Michielsens Student: Kenneth Sebuganda Reg. Num: W01073548 B Word Count: 2,434 Select any ONE U.K. trade union. Explore their current levels of membership, and services for members and critically examine theoretical analysis for this current position and activity within the Employee Relations literature. Before I begin there are two necessary elements that must be covered differentiated, although greatly related to each other they are differences between the two: Trade Unions can be defined as "a continuous association of wage earner for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their working lives" (cited Webb & Webb, 1920)1. Employee Relations can be defined as "concerned with the relationship between the policies and practices of the organisation and it staff, and the behaviour of work groups." (Mullins 2002) The trade union I have chosen to examine is Amicus, the UK's largest manufacturing, technical & skilled persons' union. With over 1.2 million members in the private & public sectors, a major industrial force since the merger of MSF & AEEU into a single collective body. A series of mergers began during the late 80's and early 90's, as smaller unions feared that they would lose the little power they possessed and larger trade
How has the power of the Trade Unions changed in the last 20 years?
How has the power of the Trade Unions changed in the last 20 years? The simple answer to how have the power of the trade unions changed over the last 20 years is simply that it has been substantially weakened. In their 1979 election manifesto the Conservatives pledged to substantially reduce the power of the trade unions; they said that the trade unions were crippling our economy; "We cannot go on, year after year, tearing ourselves apart in increasingly bitter and calamitous industrial disputes". The government managed to weaken the power of trade unions through successive legislation made in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1988. The two most significant acts were the 1980 and 1982 Acts. The 1980 ("Prior") Employment Act, although produced in conjunction with the trader unions so not as hard hitting as preceding Acts narrowed the definition of Lawful picketing and secondary action. The 1982 ("Tebbit) Employment Act restricted the definition of a lawful dispute and increased the consequences of illegal disputes. Overall the employment Acts most importantly democratised the Trade unions meaning that the views of some of the more moderate trade union members were taken into account and not just the views of the hard line leaders. Another important point was increased compensation for employees sacked because they were not members of the particular union (closed shop). The trade
Dispute Resolution and Grievance with BellSouth Yellow PagesBellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corporation is a publishing company that sells and produces the
Running head: Dispute Resolution Dispute Resolution and Grievance with BellSouth Yellow Pages David A. Beckham University of Phoenix LAW 529 Rich D'Ambrosio September 11, 2005 Dispute Resolution and Grievance with BellSouth Yellow Pages BellSouth Advertising and Publishing Corporation is a publishing company that sells and produces the print and online yellow pages in the Southeast United States. We have a union environment guided by a contract with the Communication Workers of America, CWA. Our primary process for dispute resolution is the grievance procedure. Union employees will use the grievance process for any type of issue ranging from contract violations, account possessions, disputes and issues concerning discipline or termination. Over the past seven years, I have been involved with many grievances. The grievance process has four levels to resolution. The first level is with the grievant and the supervisor. The second level is heard by the regional or director level. The third level is held between labor relations and the company union representative. The final level is held in arbitration. Rarely do the grievances go to the arbitration level. Only the most serious cases involving termination goes to the arbitration. In my time as a manager, I had only two grievances go to arbitration. The majority of our cases have been handled at the second or third
The formation of the International Ladies Garment Worker's Union was somewhat of a miracle.
The formation of the International Ladies Garment Worker's Union was somewhat of a miracle. During the 1880's and 1890's ladies garments were made in small units and in countless, isolated sweatshops. A sweatshop was a makeshift factory, which was dimly lit and poorly ventilated. Impoverished people, mostly, women and children worked at top speed for more than twelve hours a day, cutting and sewing, often taking work home to make a small wage. These sweatshops became a major problem in the late 1800's when large numbers of immigrants poured into the country. The owners of the sweatshops took advantage of the immigrants' ignorance and poverty to get them to work for lower wages. After the introduction of the electric sewing machine in the mid 1890's, female workers dominated the garment industry. The new machines required less strength and skill to operate than the foot-powered model that it replaced, therefore that enabled unskilled women to obtain jobs formerly held by men. At the same time, machines for edge pressing, collars, and padding came into use. This enabled women to obtain jobs requiring special skills. Women quickly moved into new branches of the women's garment industry, producing shirt waists, wrappers, underwear and children's clothes in factories. The women in the garment industry held meetings in houses where they formed local unions. A local
'The First World War was important as a locomotive for domestic change' (Clive Emsley). How true is this of trade unions and government intervention in social welfare in Britain during the period 1914-1922?
'THE FIRST WORLD WAR WAS IMPORTANT AS A LOCOMOTIVE FOR DOMESTIC CHANGE' (CLIVE EMSLEY). HOW TRUE IS THIS OF TRADE UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN SOCIAL WELFARE IN BRITAIN DURING THE PERIOD 1914-1922? The First World War introduced a lot of large welfare reform, including the war pension, but welfare reforms had started before the beginning of the First World War, and continued after it. In that sense, the First World War can be seen as a catalyst (or locomotive, if you will) for welfare reform, as it sped up the changes. Trade Unions had been active before the First World War, with the boom before the war helping trade unions to negotiate better terms and conditions, as can be seen in the Miners Strike of 1910. Trade Unions really started to get strong and militant with the formation of the Triple Alliance, when the miners, transport workers, and railway men joined together to become a hugely powerful force. Around the time when the Labour party was formed in 1906, the Liberal Democrats introduced several new welfare acts including the Children's Act and the Education Act. These acts were designed to keep the nation healthy and educated, as it was seen by both the Liberals and the Labour party that these were two major elements the youth of Britain was lacking, and it would be those people that may be relied upon later. The first state pensions were introduced in
Comparison between unitary and pluralist perspectives.
HNC IN BUSINESS PERSONNEL MODULE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ASSIGNMENT 1 ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW Gillian Crosthwaite List of Contents . Introduction 2. Comparison between unitary and pluralist perspectives 3. The pluralist perspective with the Fire Service at the present time 4. The role and development of Trade Unions 5. Present industrial relations within the Fire Service 6. The role and contributions of the FBU 7. Conclusion Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Bibliography . Introduction This report evaluates the unitary and pluralistic employment relationship perspectives in respect of the Fire Service. An assessment of the development of trade unionism and how membership of trade unions may be increased. The nature of industrial relations in the Fire Service at the present time is detailed with issues such as the pay increase, health and safety and modernisation. There is also an investigation of the role and contribution that the Fire Brigades Union make to effective industrial relations. 2. Comparison between unitary and pluralist perspectives within the workplace There are two different approaches within an employment relationship, the unitary perspective and the pluralist perspective. The unitary perspective believes all members of the organisation should come together as one, i.e. be united. The members should all share common goals, aims and
A trade union is an organisation which employees join to gain greater power and security at work
Trade unions Definition: A trade union is an organisation which employees join to gain greater power and security at work. Union membership can provide greater influence collectively in relations with employers than workers have as separate individuals. Trade unions have a long history. Their size and influence have declined in the last 20 years but they are still important. Their role has perhaps developed away from confrontation towards cooperation with managers and conflict resolution. Types of trade unions: Trade of union Members Example Craft or skill unions Set up to represent skilled employees. The oldest unions, with origins in the skilled crafts of the middle ages, for example stonemasons National Union Of Journalists (NUI) Industrial unions These represent the members of one particular industry. Often, not necessarily, this includes different skills Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General unions These unions recruit members from all industries and types of employer, and across the whole range of skills and types of work The General Municipal Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union (GMB) White-collar unions These unions attract members who tend to be office rather than direct manufacturing production workers, hence 'white-collar' rather than 'blue-collar' of the traditional stereotype of the factory worker The National Union of Teachers (NUT); Banking
Labourers’ Treatment at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.
Labourers' Treatment at the Turn of the Twentieth Century Tyler Herrington 10B Socials 10 Mr. Lawson May 6, 2003 "The years 1900 to 1919 were characterized by widespread unrest and violence in Canada." (Wejr and Howie; pg.5) The above quotation explains what it was like to be a labourer during the early 1900's. Canadian employers during this era would act out violently towards striking or under performing labourers. Hiring secret police was a common practice used by retaliating employers against strikers. Labourers had no say in their wages and had no one to back them up; not even the government. There were unions started up in this era to protect the workers but they were fairly weak and easily shut down by the employers of the company. Labourers worked long hours with low earnings. Employers did not care about their workers safety and as a result, numerous work-related injuries occurred. Labourers hired in this era were underpaid and mistreated thus unions needed to be formed to rectify the situatuion. (Wejr and Smith; pg. 5-19) Labourers worked long hours with little pay. Labourers in a cotton mill factory, in the early 1900's, were paid one dollar a day and worked nine hours per day. The following poem vividly describes the easy time the employers had compared to the labourers' hard work and poor treatment. "With fingers that never new toil / with nose-tip
What are trade unions?
What are trade unions? What they do: Trade unions are organisations that represent people at work. Their purpose is to protect and improve people's pay and conditions of employment. They also campaign for laws and policies, which will benefit working people. Why they are here: Trade unions exist because an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions that are made about his or her job. By joining together they are likely to be listened to more and therefore increase the chance of success. General: There are lots of different sorts of jobs and industries that are covered by trade unions. Some unions represent people who do a particular job or work in a specific industry. Other unions include a mixture of people in different jobs and sectors. It is possible that some unions merge because they can increase their membership and their influence. For trade unions: If you are a member of a trade union if you are treated badly by your management you have power to make them change their ways. This generally improves the happiness of employees because they feel comfortable in their jobs without feeling more at risk as they have a union to back them up. Against trade unions: It can mean that they stand up for people that should lose their job, which means that inefficient staff are kept on making the business loss out. With a trade union staff are
Explain fully and clearly the importance of negotiation within industrial relations to resolve disputes
E1: Explain fully and clearly the importance of negotiation within industrial relations to resolve disputes For this section I will discuss why negotiations are important to resolve disputes. I will use examples of the current day disputes, which include teacher and fireman strikes. Disputes arise due to problems with hours of work, pay, conditions, unfair dismissal, discrimination, productivity, health and safety, and redundancy. The people involved in industrial relations are employees, the trade union they belong to, the employer and the government. Trade Unions which employees can join at work to try and improve wages, working conditions, and the working environment. The aims of these trade unions are to protect wage values, control hours of work, checking health and safety and representing its members. None of these aims can be met unless negotiating with employers and the government are made. It is important to negotiate disputes for many reasons. It is important not to disrupt the services that are provided for the public. The fire fighting service has now been affected which is dangerous as peoples lives are at risk. The teaching service has also been affected because they were made to go on strike for an increase of London allowance. Negotiations make the workforce happy which means they will do a better job and become more efficient. The government want this