Jeannot Bile EMPLOYEE RELATIONS 13/02/2014
A Marxist (or radical) perspective of the employment relationship locates 'the asymmetry of power between employer and employee' at the heart of its analysis. (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004: 34).
The conviction that there exists a power imbalance in the employment relationship which gives employers a prejudicial benefit over employees takes its existence for several centuries. Karl Marx known for his theories and contributions related to the employment relations field, became famous through his literatures and ever since his popularity remains.
Firstly and primarily, the lives of most men and women are subject of work. The large majority of individuals who work are simply employees only few are employers. Therefore, the terms and conditions in which individuals perform this work are crucial for everyone. These agreements are characterized by the relationship between employer and employee. Again, employee relations suggest notion of fairness and equity in the remuneration of labour.
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
A portrait of Karl Marx.
Karl & his daughter Jenny MarxAt the basic level, employee relations tend to create active group collaboration in the place of work rather than conflicts which give to employees the impression in some way to be separated from employers and organisations for which they work. Employee relations take into account many factors related to a good quality of work such as remuneration of labour, bonuses, promotions as well as the corporate culture and the work environment, training and development programs for employees. Recognizing the achievements and contributions made by the employee, this is an important part of employee relations, as the demands of the employees are more or less respected. Numerous scholars and authors have written lot of theories related to employment relationship field. Edwards defines Employee relation as "all forms of economic activity in which an employee works under the authority of an employer and receives a wage in return for...