Historical Involvements of Unions in Australia - Assignment Example

Name: Tutor: Title: Principles of Employment Relations Institution: Date:   Question 7 Introduction Employment relations refers to the process of communication and enhancement of the relationship between the employees and the management. It entails activities such as processing grievances and settling disputes concerning the employees. A trade union on the other hand, is an organization composed of workers who are united in terms of protecting their own interests. This is through addressing the grievances facing the employees and also negotiating for better terms with the employers. The union also takes actions to enforce the collecting bargaining action agreed upon with the employers. The actions taken by the unions may include the mobilizati0on of the members to participate in strikes or go slows. Historical involvements of unions in Australia The trade unions have a long history in Australia. The trade union in the early twentieth century was involved in a lot of activities ranging from political activities to workers representation. The unions were also experiencing a rapid growth at this time in the history of Australia. The minimum basic wage was established in 1917due to the actions of the trade unions. By 1921, the union membership had reach 703,000 which was quite high at the time. The Australian central trade union was formed in 1927 which played a big role in the championing of the rights of the workers. The trade unions were involved in the railway strike after the Second World War which lasted for nine weeks. The trade unions continued to expand in the 1970s after merging with other institutions. In the late twentieth century, the activities of trade unions were still witnessed but the economic and social involvement has slightly weakened compared to the past. This is mainly attributed to the economic changes, government policies, changing employment composition, changes in the management, union’s policies and structures and the changes in the popularity of unions. Conclusion In conclusion, the trade union has played an important role in the championing of the rights of workers in Australia since they were started. The trade union has been involved in several situations in Australia and has helped workers solve their problems. The involvement of trade unions in the labor market saw the introduction of minimum wages while their involvement in the railway industry leads to the streamlining of the sector. The involvement of trade unions is positive in the labor market. However, the future of trade unions is uncertain as the employment policies and the economic situation are changing. This contributes to their reduced efficiencies and popularity. In future the trade unions in Australia may end up declining if the policies do not change. Question 8 Introduction Non union is defined as a management initiated or state sponsored initiative to help the employees solve their own problems. It also includes direct and indirect forms of representation by the workers. The decision making process mainly includes forms of consultations with the employees. At this level, the non union mainly involves unions within the organization. Non union bargaining on the other hand involves the interaction of the employers with the employees directly without the involvement of union representatives. It has been used in some instances in Australia especially in the areas of occupational health safety. Impacts of non union representation in Australia Non union representation has some impacts at the Australian workplace. It has been used at times and has worked in some areas while in others it has not. The main impact is that the employees are able to voice their concerns directly and thus weakens the trade unions who are supposed to represent them. The non-union representation also weakens the policies o the trade unions as the employees are normally advised to ditch the misguided agenda that some of the union s may be having. The terms in this form of representation also disadvantages the workers as some of the terms override the employee agreement. Union and Un-union bargaining in Australia In Australia, both forms of representation have been used for the purpose of solving the conflicts in the Australian work place. The best form of representation has however been the unions. There are more advantages in the unions as it has a huge bargaining power compare to the non-union which has seen individual workers going to court. Although the non-union representation reduces the chances of conflicts and has been widely accepted by the government, it is not effective in some areas. The non-unions representation enjoys very little popularity of only 2% in Australia. The Australian work place agreements area also used for the purpose of removing the unions but has not gone well with most of the employees and they do not prefer it. Conclusion In conclusion, non-union representation is not an efficient method of dealing with the grievances of the workers in Australia. This is mainly attributed to the low bargaining power of the employees and their unclear roles in the decision making process. A company like Dell uses the method to avoid the interference of the trade unions with different agendas. Personally I would not agree with the issue of non –union representation as it gives the employers much bargaining power. However the trend may rise due to the current economic situation. Most of the private employers also do not wish to be involved with trade unions and thus its rise. Question 9 Introduction OHS mainly deals with the areas of the safety of the workers. These laws are mainly regulated by the government for the purpose of maintaining safety standards. The government also has laws regarding unequal employment and discrimination during the recruitment process. This is meant to enhance the public service. The unions are supposed to motor these processes to prevent violation by the government. Unfair dismissal of employees may occur and the unions may represent them legally to have them reinstated. If the working conditions of the employees are poor, the unions have the responsibility of raising an alarm over the situation. Discussion The laws governing the OHS in Australia are mainly formulated by the federal government. This is for the purpose of preventing deaths considering that 25% of deaths are due to industrial accidents. Some companies also record a higher rate of accident as opposed to others. The equal opportunity act came into force in 1984 with the passing of the law meant to ensure equal opportunities during employment. It requires that all the employers must abide by it. The unfair dismissal of employees is recognized by the law and the industrial relations act guides the process in case it occurs. The law also provides for the standards of employment in every sector of the economy. Neo liberization is a policy adopted by the world trade organization and it aims at discouraging the governments from interfering with the domestic economy. By privatizing the state firms , the government is encouraging unfair dismissals and loss of jobs in Australia. This is due to the pressure in the economy. This move also affects the operations of trade unions. The work place act interfered with the operations of the union as it restricted the activities of trade unions while at the same time introducing the Australian workplace agreements. The work choices on the other hand allow the employees to go on strike but to bargain on their own and thus reducing the powers of the unions. Conclusion In conclusion the labor laws in Australia are not fair enough and are meant to lock out trade unions. This is considering that the laws have clause that bans the participation of trade unions in some labor activities. A company like Qantas which is among the largest airliner companies is also in support of the action of limiting the operations of unions stating that the law provides for union activities only during negotiations. In my views the labor laws are against unions which is not fair considering the efforts unions put to promote the workers in terms of employment and working conditions. Question 10 Introduction The bargaining employment conditions refers to the negotiations between the employee’s trade unions and the organization or the representatives on the terms of employment and the working relations. A contract will then be signed after the employer and the employees or their representatives have agreed upon certain terms of working together. The contract signed will guide the entire process of the agreement to the implementation of the agreed terms. In case of any misunderstandings, the contract will serve as a form of reference. Discussion Role of bargaining Collective bargaining is the process negotiations between a group of employers and a group of employees its main purpose is to ensure that the employees concerns are addressed. The concerns by the employees include better working conditions and pay. The main role of collective bargaining is to know the views of both parties and come up with agreements that will put into considerations the needs of the employees. The individual contracts are mainly between the employer and the employee. The employee will sign the contract personally after agreeing to the terms and conditions of the employer. This type of contract has little bargaining power as it involves only the employee and the employer. The contract also has rules which are the terms and conditions of the contract. I agree with the bargaining system at Australia since it enables the employee to get the right treatment in terms of remunerations and proper working conditions. Without the bargains some of the employers would not treat the employees well. Hydro company supports the freedom of associati0on and collective bargaining by the employees. This is mainly for the purpose of ensuring that their safety standards are improved due to good working conditions. This is considered fair as the employees will be able to address any issues affecting them in the course of carrying out their duties. Conclusion The future of the role of bargaining in the Australian system can be improved if the laws will be flexible enough for it to allow more freedom of association and bargaining power. If the agreements are observed more keenly without any failure, then the process will be improved. The recognition of trade unions should also be a consideration for the process to improve further. The bargaining power will continue to thrive in Australia if it is done in good faith and the labor administrators continue to support the process. Communication is also an important tool during the bargaining process once it is enhanced, and then the bargaining power will continue in Australia. The communication should be enhanced between the employers and the employees. Read More