Managing Employee Relations

1
Managing Employee Relations

• Lecture II
• Perspective on
• Employee Relations

2
Context of Employee Relations

• Any social phenomenon, such as employee
  relations, cannot and should not be viewed in
  isolation from its wider context
• In this sessions we will attempt to develop
• 1) An understanding of the nature and
  significance of changes in the UK/ROI industrial
  and employment structures and rate of
  unemployment
• 2) An Appreciation the changing character of
  UK/ROI society, the basis of political
  differentiation and the resulting differences in
  government policies and strategies

3
The Context of Employee Relations

• 3) Set Current UK/ROI employee relations within
  the context of the twentieth century
  (particularly since 1960)
• 4) To be aware of how our perception of employee
  relations is portrayed in the mass media
• The economic, social and political changes being
  experienced in the UK and Ireland are not unique
  and are part of a much wider world economic
  change. Therefore it is important that we
  understand and learn from the experiences of
  other countries

4
Economic, Political and Social Forces

• The economic context now has a firm international
  focus even though the social and political
  contexts are still primarily national in focus.
  While there is competition between governments to
  attract global capital to create wealth and
  employment in a country, we need to be aware that
  national governments (or other bodies such as
  Trade Unions) are in a weak position to regulate
  effectively the activities of global capitalism.
• The impact of economic and technological
  development impacts o a wider range of workers

5
Introducing the Context of Employee Relations

• An industrial society is a highly complex and
  dynamic arrangement of differentiated groups,
  activities and institutional relationships
  intertwined with a variety of attitudes, beliefs
  and expectations. Employee relations is just one
  segment of this activity and structure.
• The economic, social and political segments are
  of particular importance. Actions or changes in
  these areas may have directly stimulate or
  constrain specific industrial relations
  activities as well as influence the attitudes of
  the particants.

6
Economic Environment

• Increasing Liberalisation, Iternationalisation
  and Globalisation of Trade through the
  development of free trade areas (EU, NAFTA
  Development of GATT and WTO)
• Expansion of the Service Sector
• Widening Range and Importance of Multinational
  Organisations
• Shift in Governmental policy towards the
  management of the economy
• Reduced labour market regulation

7
Employment

• Employment Structure
• Size of total workforce 2.6 increase in UK,
  16.7 in Ireland, Female Participation 50.4 in
  Ireland, 66.8 in UK, Part-time employment 23 in
  the UK, 16.7 in Ireland
• Shift in Employment from manufacturing to
  services, manufacturing employment has declined
  from 8.5 million (42 per cent of employees) in
  1950 to 3.9
• ( 17 per cent of all employees) in 2000
• Increase in Part-time employment, Unequal Wage
  Distribution

8
Social Environment

• Sustained periods of long term unemployment,
  youth unemployment
• Ageing workforce
• Social Environment
• Industrialised capitalist democracy
• The creation of the welfare state
• Heightened divisions among society
• Growing desire for social action

9
Political Environment

• Job Creation/Resolving High Unemployment
• Balance between public and private sector
  (privatisation)
• Power trade unions are allowed to exercise within
  industry and society
• Rule of Law
• Government policy should be conducted within a
  framework of public debate and involvement
• Development of Employee Relations

10
Development of Industrial Relations

• Early Development
• Pressure on the industry level system
• Voluntary Reform (Organisational Level)
• Government Intervention
• Confrontation
• New Realism Towards Partnership
• The Impact of the Mass Media
• Summary