Employment Relations refers to the total relationship between an employer and employee.
Stakeholders in Employment Relations
Governments
- International competitiveness
- Higher living standards and employment
- Workplace reform
- Compliance with legislation
*Employees
- Better wages
- Better working conditions
- Meaningful jobs
- Job security
- Participation in decisions
*Employers
- Increase profits
- Increase flexibility
- Minimize costs, be competitive
- Expand the business
- Develop new products
- Maximize customer service
Trade Unions - are organizations formed by employees in an industry, trade or occupation to represent them in efforts to improve wages and the working conditions of their members.
Australian Services Union (ASU)
Australian Workers Union (AWU)
Transport Workers Union (TWU)
Reasons for decline in membership
- Collapse of centralized wage-fixing system
- Community attitudes towards unions
- Poor image
- To dependent on tribunal system
- Globalization
Employer Associations are organizations that represent and assist employer groups.
Trade Union official Mick O'Reilly on stage at May...
Trade Union banners at May Day rally 2013 in Dubli...
Australian Army soldiers marching along Macquarie ...A log of claims is a list of demands made by workers against the employers
Employer Associations provide:
Provide advice
Make submissions to safety net wages cases
Negotiate agreements
Lobby governments with views and interests of employers
Enterprise agreements are agreements about wages and conditions made at the enterprise level. Each agreement is made between an employer and a union or a majority of employees in the workplace.
Safety net increases are increases in wages awarded by the AIRC to all employees who are not covered by enterprise agreements, to ensure that they do not miss out on the economic gains achieved or fall too far behind.
Managing Employment Relations
A line manager is responsible for the management of staff contributing to the prime function of the business.
Key influences on employment relations
Social influences
Changing work patterns - no longer people have a 'jobs for life'.