Trade Unions and HRD: Strategic Workplace Management
T.U: Aim: protect and improve rights of all society members. Regulate employment relationship. Reduce vulnerability of individual by collective org. Before craft based, now very large super unions for all workers.Union Recognition: when signed procedure agreement to negotiate employment’s terms and conditions. Routes to U.R: Recognition by agreement/ Central Arbitration Commitee (CAC. Recognition ballots). Facts: 28% in 2007/ Public s 59%, private 16%, strong differences/196 TU/ 7.6 M members/ 73% membership in 250.000 plus/ eg Unite 1,9M, Unison 1,3M. Wh work with TU: t.U representatives essential part of communication process/ employers seek long term stability Non-u strategy: ideological (Unions disruptive to busin)/ unrepresentative/ but still need collective voice, use of forums. Typology of non-u firms: Good- Happy House(high employee commitment, specialist hrm personnel) Ugly-Bleak House( Lack of formal proced, no specialist hr, low morale, insecure employment) Lucky (Oportunist) Bad (Benevolent Autocrats). Non-u workplaces’factors: N. Employees, age of workplace, low paid employment, hrm techniques, public vs private) Non-U management control practices: Dundon 2002: Non union approach( employer anti union control) Fear stuff(intimidate workers fear unions) sweet s (union substitution) Evil stuff(ideological opposition) Fatal s(refuse recognition) Awkward s(delay tactics) Tame s(recognise moderate unions) Harm s(union communication).
Future agenda for unions: 3 options: 1. Better organising & recruitment of new members/collective agreements. 2.Knowledge of education and learning, equality, health & safety, work/life balance, partnership agreemnts. 3.Law to develop rights’ recognition & consultation. Future choices employers: Need of voice in individual n collective issues/employers can harness expertise or recognise substitute org, Specifics of non-union approach: Create staff associations/ staff surveys. QUESTION 2: HRD: Continuous individual & organisational learning to change development of core competencies and ability to adapt faster than rivals. Organisations viewed as learning systems benefit from collective learning of their h.R. Potential HRD intervention areas: Gibb 2002: Cognitive capacities (Beyond knowledge. Dvlpmnt of imagination creativity and decision making) Capabilities (discrete abilities involved in effective performance) Behaviours (Learning and development to change attitudes). Investment Drivers: Internal-external (int labour market-ext lab mrk/changing organisational strtgy- new tchnlgy devlpmnt/ flexibility-changing ecnmic context). Stratgc H.R: Garavan 1991: Integration with orgnstnal missions n goals, top mangmnt support, envirmntl scanning, line manager commtmnt, existence complmntry hrm actvties, culture recognition, emphasis on evaluation. Major options in HRD: Gibb 2002: On the job learning, learning partnership, short training course, short external course.