Business: Employer and Employee Relations

Trade Unions represent the employees in order to promote collective objectives, such as improving pay, conditions and the level of employment.

What methods do they use?

Negotiation A period of "bargaining" with the employee - face to face.

Go-slow employees work at reduced speeds without putting the production process at risk.

Work-to-rule employee works exactly to what their contract states and remove goodwill ("unpaid" extras). eg/ Ambulance drivers, nursing and teaching

Overtime ban no  overtime - public services rely on this, weekends and unsociable hours.

Strike last resort if negotiations break down with a large gap between both sides. Strikes are called by the employee representatives. Employees don't get paid when their on strike. They leave work for a period of time as a form of protest.

In some countries a strike can only be sanctioned after a ballot (vote) of members has taken place; otherwise unlawful. This is important:

1. Strike is unlawful - workers are unintitled to "strike pay" paid by the union in some cases, intended to support the employees whilst out of work.

2. Unlawful strike - lack of stakeholder support for the strike - loss of public sympathy for the cause; weakening the position of representatives if negotiations resume.