Cases and Union Recognition
If a trade union has lots of members, then it will be looking to get recognition from the company so that it can represent the people well. This step of getting the required recognition is hardly easy but is of extreme importance as it would be marking a change from the traditional practice of the management taking all the decision by them.
If the employees are looking to get their union recognized, then they would not be cooperating with an employer who refuses recognition. In cases, where the fight reaches its extreme, it can generate so much of hatred that industrial action may be taken up in order to support the cause. If such situations take place then the employer would be automatically forced to grant a status of partial recognition to the body.
It can also happen that the body would be getting complete recognition over certain issues. The clashes, can force the employer to grant recognition under the Employment Relations Act of 1999.
There exist lots of good reasons for the recognition of the trade unions. The company can get some benefits from this too. The employees would be sending out representatives with whom discussions as well as negotiations can take place thus strengthening relationships.
There are lots of reasons for which the employers should be working with the trade unions rather than against them. The management can even start considering the trade unions to be representatives and a really important part of the process of communication in big places of work.
The setting up of the trade union is a better option than communicating with all the employees together or dealing with an unofficial body which will not have proper representatives. These people will deal with issues of payment of the employees as well as looking after the grievances of the people. The trade unions would be providing with a good channel, for solving the issues in an effective manner.
It will be different form imposing a decision upon the people. There are different arguments that a company can put forward for not going for a trade union. The different employees are often a little worried about the kind of strictness they would be facing in the hands of the company. Hence many people consider getting the consent by other methods. It however has to be ensured that the management would be working hard enough to getting as well as maintaining such consent.
Surveys conducted by the IRS actually asked the people to name the advantages as well as disadvantages associated with the trade unions. The benefits got here, a really steady structure that such a partnership can provide in management of the employees. A smooth kind of industrial relation is to be provided, by the means of which communication would be made with the higher members of the hierarchy.
Another advantage got here was that this was a communication tool which saved a lot of money. The major disadvantages stated here, is that the unions did not take up changes quite willingly and took a lot of time in getting things completed. As a result of this, the managers are not able to respond to the changes taking place in the market in a quick and efficient manner.
The data which is gathered from the surveys regarding employment relations show that managers are divided when it comes to recognition of the trade unions. Survey shows that around 29% of the managers are in favor of the formation of unions whereas 17% clearly stated their opposition. The rest 54% of the people, that they maintained a neutral kind of view regarding the matter.
Window on practice
The industrial relations of the British type actually got rid of the trade unions in the GCHQ. The GCHQ actually looked after the production of signaling intelligence by which the security of the government as well as defense and foreign policies of the country would get support. You will see that in most of the bodies of the public sector, a really strong trade union exists owing to the thousands of staffs who are present there.
In the earlier part of the 1980s, the government got especially worried about the risk of this to the country’s security as really sensitive data was changing hands. There were of course some apprehensions regarding the occurrence of industrial action concerned with the activities of the defense.
In the month of January 1984, the different members of the union were asked to buy off their membership by paying 1000 pounds. Very few people accepted this offer, but his kind of action was considered to be a really potent attack on the rights of the union and hence lots of legislative moves were done. Appeals were made to the court for human rights so that the ban became invalid in nature. By the year 1988, the 14 remaining members who had not provided with a resignation, were dismissed automatically.
The government which was coming up in 1997 completed their pledge very soon after taking up the office. The ban continued. The people who had been dismissed, got back to work in the month of July.
Links of Previous Main Topic:-
- Strategic aspects of development
- Context competence competencies
- Learning and development
- Career development
- Strategic aspects of employee relations
- Recognition and consultation
- Recognition defining
Links of Next HR Management Topics:-
- Forms of trade union recognition
- Derecognition
- Trade union recognition law
- Collective consultation
- Consultation in practice
- Hr roles in recognition and consultation
- Summary propositions and general discussion topics in recognition and consultation
- Health safety and welfare
- Equality the legal framework
- Equal opportunities and diversity