MODULE 9: Collective Bargaining and Management of Conflict

1. How can an organization avoid or eliminate the confrontational labor

management relations?

Unionless environment This is the common trend in todays employment

that the management issues a waiver to a hiree agreeing for a unionless
employment before he starts his first day of work. In this case, future labor
problems will be avoided by the management because it will be easy for them
to handle an individual case rather than a group case which is the labor
union. Though disputable in court when challenged, it is hard to form a group
of workers who do not have a legal authority like a trade union, and who are
not really keen on pursuing their rights for a long battle ahead. In this case,
companies adopt this strategy and receive temporary success at the moment.

Power of training/education and communication For the employees to be

accustomed with management goals and objectives, each of them should be
exposed to trainings and seminars and informative matters that will put them
to understand how a business goes and where its profit is used and how the
business will survive the competition by other companies to stay relevant and
performing for the longest time. It is like opening their minds up and make
them feel the other shoes.

Good labor relations When a monetary demand or benefit is affordable and

within the range of business, it should not be held lower by the management
and should be given the soonest time so as not to create tension between its
employees and to make them think that management cares for them. Also to
put the employees close to the management, social functions should be
planned. Sports programs, parties and other social events shall be conducted
at a given time regularly, where management and employees participate as a
whole.

2. Stress usually rocks the relationship between employer and employees when
collective bargaining negotiation begins. Do you think there is a need for a
mediator to settle their disputes? Explain your answer.
In real life, mediators are oftenly seen intervening for the disputing parties. Union
and management do not often agree with most of the context in their CBA. Most
of the time, a mediator is needed to resolve a CBA issue. To avoid further
conflicts, he will get to the middle of each proposal and make a decision. In this

case, the management is usually favored because no management has offered a

just CBA proposal. And because the union is the first to submit a proposal in a
CBA, its financial and other claims will be lessened significantly when the
management submits its counter proposal. So when the mediator acts, the
unions CBA proposal is reduced to a slightly significant level.
3. Explain in your own words the conflict resolution vs. conflict management.

Conflict resolution

Are methods and processes used to facilitate the peaceful ending of conflict. It
may also be used interchangeably with dispute resolution, where arbitration and
litigation processes are critically involved. Furthermore, the concept of conflict
resolution can be thought to encompass the use of nonviolent resistance
measures by conflicted parties in an attempt to promote effective resolution.

Dispute Resolution

The process of resolving disputes between parties mostly in court.

Methods of dispute resolution include:

lawsuits (litigation)
arbitration
collaborative law
mediation
conciliation
many types of negotiation
facilitation

4. If you are the personnel manager, how are you going to manage conflict in your
organization? Elucidate your answer.
I have to work and decide within the boundaries of the administration. If the
general manager will give me the full powers to implement my plans, this is what
I am going to do:
Conflict arises when the employees are not happy about certain company
regulations, pay and the treatment they get from the management.

Seeing these things, it is important that I have a constant communication with

them. This can be done in the hallway, inside the canteen and outside the gate
where a simple greeting or small chat can be easily done.
I will implement a year round of social programs where employees and
management frequently interacts. I will put the employees to education like
trainings and seminars to make them aware of the company business, to love
their work because it is for their own good and for the good of their families and
to give them more knowledge about their craft and other things necessary for
them to succeed in the future.
Most importantly, if I will be part of a CBA negotiation, I will see to it that no
parties will be aggrieved, by all means I will be fair in my judgment and will do my
best for all of us to meet in the middle.

Case Analysis: Analyze the problem

In one year, in the quality control department of a non-unionized pharmaceutical
company, three good chemists and pharmacists resigned citing as reason in their
exit interviews the high-handedness of their manager. What would you do? Explain
comprehensively.

As a human resource manager:

Since the employees who resigned are assets of the company, I will talk with the QC
Department head about why did these people left. By hearing the two sides, I can be
able to assess on where the problem really is, whether it is on the department head
or the staff itself.
After formulating the remedies, I will submit my recommendations to the general
manager for his own assessment. If the fault is on the QC head, its up to the GM to
make his own disciplinary action.
People are the greatest assets of an organization. Good employees are hard to find
and developed. It is the responsibility of the HR department to see to it that these
people will be kept and taken cared of.