Question

Case study and analysis passage for answering sub-questions a, b and c.

A human resource practitioner who was a presenter of a seminar gave a preamble towards an introduction to industrial/labour relations in an organization. He remarked, there must be good relationship between employers and employees, employers and employers’ unions, management, government and employees. This would foster all the necessary approaches and processes for resolving or settling conflict relating to wage payment and other related issues in a working environment. All the participants gave the feedback to the presenter of their understanding of what the seminar features and purported to achieve at the end the presentation. The presenter further probed into industrial relations by quoting Richard Hyman (1975) who said it is about labour relations which is “the study of processes of control over work relations”. The focus of labour relations is on how a conflict is contained and controlled. It ensures employment relationships between employers and employees and/or management and workers representatives in trade unionism and the role of the government in matters of labour concerns. It is a driver for handling sour relationships by referring to rules and regulations resorted to settling impasse between employers and employees. The reason why they are players is that employers’ unions provide job/working environment with tasks assigned to employees to do and the government coming in as an intermediary when conflicts come eg. settlement of national minimum wage disagreement.

a. Applying the role of the human resource practitioner, probe into what he does when it comes to industrial dispute.                                                                                                                                                                                

b. Emphasizing the main focus of labour relations, who are the players who help in resolving conflicts and why?                                                                                                                                                                    

c. Assessing the essence of resolving sour relations is a driver for handling an impasse in an organization. Explain this statement.                                                                                                                                                                        

Answer 1

(a) The human resource practitioner plays the following role while resolving the industrial disputes in the organization, such as:

• The HR practitioner helps the parties involved in conflict, speak out their concerns openly without any fear.
• He makes sure that the real cause of the conflict is highlighted and important steps are taken in order to resolve the conflict.
• He ensures that the conflicts are totally resolved and not just stopped for the time being by going to the root cause of the problem.
• He ensures to crack a fear deal between the parties under conflict so that the industrial dispute is resolved on time.

(b) The players who help in resolving the conflicts are:

• Initially the HR practitioner is responsible to resolve any kind of conflicts being faced within the organization.
• Then the government is responsible to make sure that the disputes are handled by following all the rules ad regulation mentioned under law.
• It is the government who ensures, resolving the conflicts as early as possible, by being within the legal framework.

(c) The statement means that in any organization, the idea or the will to resolve bad inter personal relationships between the concerned parties serves as a base to help resolve any kind of conflicts, how bad it may be. Moreover, the willingness to resolve the conflicts will serve as a purpose to bring any deadlock situation (a conflict where no solution is possible as parties are too rigid) to a conclusion, where both the parties involved are satisfied and happy with the solution taken to resolve the conflict.