UK employee relations - Essay Example

?UK Employee Relations Employer-employee relationship is something that has been a cause of concern for the better part of history. In the past, there was little that employees could do to object to the treatment that was a part of their daily lives as a consequence of the actions of the employers. Then the springing up of various trade unions granted both employees and workers some power to sit at a table with businessmen and argue for their rights. Recent years have seen a trend in countries across the globe that has led to more protection to employees and programs have been introduced to better the interaction between employers and their respective employees. It is important however, to assess with a critical eye how the multiple legislations and laws that have been created are being implemented and if they truly are helping the workers. Employee relations is a complicated branch of interactions in the economic context and encompasses the interaction of employees, employers, trade unions, and governments on a regular basis (Rose, 2008, p.3). Employee relations are a term that has only recently been bought to the forefront in order to change the layout of how the relationship is between employers and their employers. This term indicates a particular subject matter unique to it and was previously known as industrial relations, which may still be used now. Debate may arise as to the meaning of the two terms and some say that it is clearly insignificant. There are some who argue that the use of the term industrial relation would drag in trade unions that are no longer as strong as they used to be. Employee relations would encompass the service sector which is currently employing about seventy percent of the workforce of a country that is developed (Leat, 2007, p. 5). Employee relation would also include as well as leave out if it is applicable, the idea of unions and other blocs. Industrial relation systems were mainly established in the early twentieth century when there was a demand for labor and a large amount of employment to go with that and not a lot of skilled labor (Dicker, 2003, p. 9). When there grew a scarcity of labor the trade unions gained more bargaining power and wages were higher yet there was no clear relationship that existed between employers and employees and the unions were becoming a way of life. So in the twenty first century there was change in mindset as to the idea of relations in the market and employees were seen to not test boundaries by questioning and participating in a business. With employee relations there is now an emphasis on searching for talent and then grooming it and allowing it to continue. Employee relations can mean various things to the employers. Some of these may be that employee relations can mainly be looked at as more of a philosophy rather than some form of management that is well defined. A shift is also beginning to take place now with power shifting from the trade unions to the individuals in workplaces. This may be due to the drop in membership of trade unions which was at one time at a high of about twelve million plus and has since fallen to about seen million (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, 2010). The review of the Employment Relations Act of 1999 was an example of the legislative measures that were taken to curb the role of trade unions. The reason for the passing of this review was to make changes to the labor market in order to provide a more fair and long-lasting platform for the development of healthy employee relations. It was purported that the review of the Employment Relations Act of 1999, and the subsequent measures, would help to boast the rate of employment and to integrate both justice and flexibility in the industrial system of the country. According to the Employment Relations Act of 1999, the employers had the authority to recognize or derecognize a trade union for the intention of collective bargaining where most of the employees are in favor of it. In a research study conducted, most of the people were of the perspective that this statutory procedure had yielded good results. From the perspective of the unions, which supported the stance of the Trades Union Congress that the procedure was successful to a certain extent, and more improvements were required to make it more effective. Regarding certain aspects of the Act, the trade unions suggested that there should be some recommendations that the government should consider in order to make the parts on trade unionism more comprehensive. These recommendations included allowing an open right to strike, removing the threshold of the small businesses mentioned in the statutory recognition procedure and allowing every worker to have the right to be represented by a union official at almost all disciplinary and grievance hearings (National Archives, 2003, p. 38). UK has not had a very good reputation with regard to employee relations. Walkouts and strikes used to be common and rampant across industrial sectors. The 1960s and 1970s were resplendent with instances of strikes and walkouts, and such events used to occur on a routine basis in the country. The developing perception was that industrial relations is a problem and is the underlying cause for collapse of governments. Moreover the period was also rife with problems of inefficient management and inflexible and narrow-minded unions, the cumulative effect of which caused further economic turmoil in the country. The economy was witness to industrial chaos, marked by low productivity as well as a derogatory and inflexible attitude towards change. The disputes occurring between the employees and employers further aggravated the industrial chaos in the country. The consequence of such industrial instability in sapped UK of its economic strength and resilience and made it weak as an economic power (Price, 2010). The repute of the managers was not very positive and was not promoted during the late 1960s and the 1970s. When Human Resource Management emerged in the 1980s, the management of labor had depreciated to a type of industrial relations; these industrial relations were characteristic of “firefighting”, which meant that “any claim to be being strategic or proactive” was suppressed (Price, 2010). Recent years have seen various legislations that have been passed by the United Kingdom Parliament to benefit individuals working in the market and this can include the Employment Act 2002 and the Employment Relations Act 1999. The employment Relations Act 2004 was also given Royal Assent in the end of 2004 and it was to be brought into force through various stages in 2005(The National Archives, n.d.). The Act mainly deals with labor laws and the power and rights that are given to trade unions. There were increased measures provided under the Act to protect workers from being unfairly intimidated and unfairly dismissed. The Act also conferred powers on the Secretary of State to be able to allow for funds for the independent trade unions so that they could improve operations. Many of the provisions in the Act were also concerned with the wages of the workers. Currently, the UK is going through great changes in its employment relations which reverberate not only to the collective representation but also to individual representation at work. In fact, according to some theorists, the changes that are taking place in the country are illustrative of a quiet workplace revolution. This seems to bring changes to the typical nature of employment relations in the UK. Research has shown that the country is not moving towards a settled world where national or industry-wide agreements have been negotiated some three decades ago; this past age was considered as the golden period of trade union power (Taylor, 2001, p.6). According to Taylor (2001, p.6) , it was not correct to regard this period as the age of trade union power. He observes that it is not likely that trade unions gain popularity as they did in the late 1970s; during this time, almost 58% of the employees were part of unions. There are many reasons which evidence the notion that emergence of the same level of importance given to unions is not going to occur in the modern UK. The changes that have taken place in UK-employee relations and the changes in the industrial sector have led to de-industrialization, which has uncovered and broken down the former strongholds of trade union power in coal, textiles, iron and steel, shipbuilding and engineering. Another reason for the decrease in the power of trade unions is the slow growth of the public services sector. It was seen in the past that one of the most important contributory factors for trade union growth in the late 1960s and the early 1970s was the rapid expansion of public services. However, the current trends do not signify any rapid expansion in the sector. The role of trade unions as negotiators has also decreased over the years. This can be attributed to the transition to more individualized ways of wage negotiation at the level of the enterprise coupled with the dearth of broader bargaining arrangements (Taylor, 2001, p.6). The glorious importance and authority that trade unions held in the past few decades has also seen to have shrunk considerably. This has caused the trade unions to be less effective in influencing the political economy, which further decreases their importance as a means of making the higher authorities pay attention to the demands of the employees. The decades after the Second World War necessitated conditions that led to the increasing growth and popularity of trade unions, but now the role of trade unions outside the workplace has become less crucial to the industrial process and has been subject to increasing opposition. This can be exemplified from the fact that various measures adopted by trade unions to express their opposition have either been made illegal or their effects have been weakened; closed shops have been outlawed, and steps have been taken limit picketing as well as the power to go on strikes. This has curbed the power of trade unions in gathering and mobilizing workers together Taylor (2001, p.6). Taylor (2001) is of the perspective that the shrinking of trade unionism in Britain has been exacerbating particularly over the past two decades, and the present occupational and economic conditions are not suggestive of any possibility of trade union coming back into limelight. The year 2002 was particularly significant in the tensions that were developing between trade unions and the Labor Government. During this time, the tensions peaked and this greatly strained the relationship between the two. An array of problems and dilemmas arose which led to a divide between the Labor Government and the trade unions. Moreover, New Labor modernizers considered these differences as excuses to create yet more rifts between the Party and the trade unions (Waddington, 2003, p.335). However, the declining power of the trade unions does not follow that there will be an employment relations system that would give undue power to the employers over the employees. There are some enterprises in the UK who are starting to show more acceptances to trade unions. This is representative of the perceptions that are starting to embed in the minds of some employers that trade unions can, after all, be more vital to the interests of the business than was regarded in the past. As a result, these employers are keener on collaborating with the management in the creation and implementation of strategies and measures that seek to satisfy the demands of the employees. However, what is notable that this need to acknowledge the role of trade unions is not rife in amongst all managers. The employment relations trends show that the level of active corporate hostility expressed against trade unions has mitigated over the past five years (Taylor, 2001, p.7). Robert Taylor (2001, p.7), who has been a major part of the Future of Work Research Programme, is of the perspective that “We could be witnessing the appearance of a genuinely new kind of employment relations across a widening range of private sector companies based on principles of industrial partnership”. Another trend that is being observed in Britain is that employment relations are greatly being impacted by changes in the employment laws. This subserves to create a platform for the positive recognition of the trade union rights, along with the representation of individual rights of the employees covering an array of aspects regarding their performance and daily conduct. This trend seems to be potentiated by the enforcement of European Union social regulation, ever since the Labor Government accepted officially the social charter of the EU’s 1991 Maastricht treaty. This may not have a huge impact on the employee relations. However, the election of the Labor Government and the very presence of such a regulation points to the fact that there is a relatively greater degree of sympathetic attitude that is fostering amongst the public over the past years. Moreover, in order to establish the future scope of employment relations in UK, one needs to give due regard to the changing nature of work. Employee relations are undergoing transition due to the advancement of technology, work restructuring and job redesigns. Moreover the increasing numbers of people who are now seeking jobs in part-time or full-time contract work is also contributing towards the changing nature of work in the country (Taylor, 2001, p.8). There are many lessons that can be learnt from the current state of employee relations regarding the future (Blyton & Turnbull, 1994, p.xii). The start of the new century has not been indicative of any shift to greater cooperation and partnership from a period of struggle. On the contrary, the current industrial advancements are representative of a shift from a strategic framework encompassing negotiated compromise and voluntary accommodation to a system that aims to provide a balance between the supervision and provision of the rights of the workers through the law and the concerted efforts of the trade unions and companies in devising laws that promote mutually agreed interests of the businesses (Taylor, 2001, p.9). Oxenbridge, Brown, Deakin and Pratten (2003, p. 315) state that the change in the influence of the EU has affected the employer perceptions regarding trade unions. Employers have become more tolerant to trade unions and are working to improve their colloborartion and interactions with the trade unions. Although many of the employers who are developing greater approval of trade unions are handing only matters such as the setting of wages in the jurisdiction of trade unions, the main point is that employers are seeking the help of trade unions to enforce organizational decisions. Another observation made by with respect to the future of employment relations in UK is that the clashes between regulation and voluntarism are influencing the way capital and labor are striving to promote their common, and resolve their conflicting, interests; these clashes are not going to subside in the future to boot. Furthermore it is also early to say that the industrial relations system in the country would acquire complete juridification. Reference List Blyton, P & Turnbull, PJ (1994). The dynamics of employee relations. London: Macmillan. Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (2010). Employee relations: an overview [online]. [Accessed 4 January 2011]. Available from: . Dicker, L. (2003). Employee relations: how to build strong relationships with your employees. 1st. ed. Australia: Allen & Unwin. Leat, M (2007). Exploring employee relations. Oxford: Elsevier Ltd. National Archives (2003). Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999 [online]. [Accessed 6 January 2010]. Available from: Oxenbridge,S, Brown, W, Deakin, S & Pratten, C (2003). Initial Responses to the Statutory Recognition Provisions of the Employment Relations Act 1999. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41, pp. 315-334. Price, A (2010). Employee relations - UK and Europe [online]. [Accessed 6 January 2010]. Available from: . Rose, E. (2008). Employment Relations. 3rd ed. London: Prentice Hall. Taylor, R (2001). The Future of Employment Relations [online]. [Accessed 6 January 2010]. Available from: The National Archives (n.d). Employment Relations Act 2004 [online]. [Accessed 4 January 2010]. Available from: . Waddington, J (2003). Heightening Tension in Relations between Trade Unions and the Labour Government in 2002. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41, pp. 335-358. Read More