Ethics in Real Business Life - Essay Example

Wage disputes are often encountered in different places and in most cases, two parties are involved, the workers and the management. Such disputes often result in strikes where work is stopped and the parties involved enter into intense negotiations. A good example can be drawn from the case of Amazon where the workers went on strike to pressure management to review their salaries. According to a story by Le Blonde Jossie (25 November 2013), titled “German Amazon workers strike in long-running dispute over pay” the workers at this internet retail giant embarked on a strike following poor compensation issues.

According to Le Blonde (2013) the strike was mainly caused by Workers who were “demanding a collective wage agreement to meet pay standards in the German retail sector.” However, the management on the other hand is arguing that the employees are getting what they are supposed to get. “The Head of Amazon Germany indicated that there was no need for negotiation with regards to the issue of compensation. He said: “Amazon already pays [workers] above average for the logistics sector and we are in a direct dialogue with our workers – we dont need Verdi for that" (Le Blonde, 2013).

This shows that there is a conflict of interest between the management and the workers.It is unethical for business to pay poor wages to the workers. Employees are also human beings with needs and interests in their lives and they can fulfil them through the money they get from their respective workplaces. Paying low wages to the employees amounts to exploitation and this is unethical in as far as business operation is concerned. The management in the organization should see to it that the employees get fair wages that are commensurate with the work they are doing.

Failure to do that may result in conflicts emanating from wage disputes. These are counterproductive since the workers will down tools and this can impact on the effectiveness of the organisation as a whole.In my own opinion, I think it is unethical for the company to offer little wages to the employees. The company should be socially responsible and it should ensure that the employees are getting satisfactory wages in order to create loyalty among them. Workers who are disgruntled are not productive and this can impact on the overall performance of the company as a whole.

The performance of the company mainly depends on the effort put by the employees in their performance. In order to gain the trust of people, organizations should ensure that they put in place policies that are fair such that the employees can put optimum performance in their work. Wage disputes often disrupt work and I am of the view that they should be avoided for the sake of the company and the employees at large. Therefore, I think creating such a fine balance between the needs of the employees and the organisation should be created so that likely disputes related to pay are minimized.

References Le Blonde Jossie (25 November 2013). “German Amazon workers strike in long-running dispute over pay.” The Guardian. Viewed from: .