2.7 Industrial/Employee Relations

• Industrial conflict is conflict between employers and employees when they have strong differences of opinion.
• In industrial conflict, employers are represented by senior management teams or employers' associations.
• In industrial conflict, employees are represented by trade unions.
• Collective bargaining is the least disruptive method to achieve employee objectives.
• Strike action is the most disruptive method to achieve employee objectives.
• Work-to-rule is a moderately disruptive method to achieve employee objectives.
• Collective bargaining is when employees negotiate with employers for better conditions.
• Work-to-rule is when employees adhere precisely to all the rules and regulations set by the employer but no longer exercise any good will such as replying to emails in breaks.
• Strike action is when workers leave the job.
• Employers can threaten employees with the threat of redundancies, changes of contract, lockouts or closure.
• Lock outs are when employers temporarily prevent employees from going to work.
• Conciliation is when parties involved in a dispute agree to use an independent mediator.
• Arbitration is when parties use an independent arbitrator which acts like a judge to make a legally binding decision to resolve a conflict.
• No strike agreements is when a trade union agrees to not take strike action for industrial action.
• Single union agreements occur when a firm agrees to participate in conflict resolution with one specific trade union.
• The possible outcomes of conflict resolution are surrender, collaboration, avoidance, competing or compromise.