Case Study

Industrial relations are continually changing and new approaches have appeared, which over time has emerged with its own degree of importance. Industrial relations now command specialized treatment and increased resource allocation at the enterprise, national and international levels. The rise of industrial relations is largely due to the gradual democratization of late nineteenth and twentieth century economic and societal systems. Several elements have combined to ensure that both the practice and theory of industrial relations are an ever changing and dynamic endeavour, the ever-increasing complexities in the world of work, in class, gender, racial and age division of labour; rapid technological changes, the rise of industrial relations is largely due to the gradual democratization of late nineteenth and twentieth century economic and societal systems. This democratization hastened entrenchment of the trade union movement, both its employee and employer varieties and international organizations such as the International Labour Organization and United Relations related bodies such as UNCTAD, UNIDO, that incorporates political pluralism and activism in their civil and governance formats. Industrial Relations may be defined as the interaction between people at work, their complex

relationships, which are common features of the workplace on a daily basis.

The concept of industrial relations leads to a decision of the board of directors on behalf of the management, on industrial relations functions in the company, known as the industrial relations policy. The policy should reflect the culture of management practice in the company. In some instances, involving collective bargaining, there is a strong preference for mandates to be handed down from top management to negotiators who are expected to carry them out. This mandate must allow some degree of flexibility to the negotiator so that there would be no walking away from a settlement at a crucial stage of the negotiators.

Amended and adapted from Kirkaldy George (1998) Industrial Relations Law The Caribbean Law Publishing

Company Kingston

Phillip, George J and Hussey Benthan H. (2006) Canoe Press Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago

MGMT3502

21/01 The Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica Page 3

Required

1. Using the case as a guide, explain the term Industrial Relations. (5 marks)

2. Evaluate the scope and purpose of Industrial Relations. (7 marks)

3. Examine the following important concepts in industrial relations:

1. Collective bargaining (2 marks)
2. Grievance (2 marks)
3. Disputes (2 marks)
4. Unionisation (2 marks)