Chapter21-LabourResourcesandHumanResourcesManagementLABOURRELATIONSANDHUMANRESOURCESMANAGEMENT:ANOVERVIEWAnneTrebilcockLabourorIndustrialRelationsThetermlabourrelations,alsoknownasindustrialrelations,referstothesysteminwhichemployers,workersandtheirrepresentativesand,directlyorindirectly,thegovernmentinteracttosetthegroundrulesforthegovernanceofworkrelationships.Italsodescribesafieldofstudydedicatedtoexaminingsuchrelationships.Thefieldisanoutgrowthoftheindustrialrevolution,whoseexcessesledtotheemergenceoftradeunionstorepresentworkersandtothedevelopmentofcollectivelabourrelations.Alabourorindustrialrelationssystemreflectstheinteractionbetweenthemainactorsinit:thestate,theemployer(oremployersoranemployers’association),tradeunionsandemployees(whomayparticipateornotinunionsandotherbodiesaffordingworkers’representation).Thephrases“labourrelations”and“industrialrelations”arealsousedinconnectionwithvariousformsofworkers’participation;theycanalsoencompassindividualemploymentrelationshipsbetweenanemployerandaworkerunderawrittenorimpliedcontractofemployment,althoughtheseareusuallyreferredtoas“employmentrelations”.Thereisconsiderablevariationintheuseoftheterms,partlyreflectingtheevolvingnatureofthefieldovertimeandplace.Thereisgeneralagreement,however,thatthefieldembracescollectivebargaining,variousformsofworkers’participation(suchasworkscouncilsandjointhealthandsafetycommittees)andmechanismsforresolvingcollectiveandindividualdisputes.Thewidevarietyoflabourrelationssystemsthroughouttheworldhasmeantthatcomparativestudiesandidentificationoftypesareaccompaniedbycaveatsaboutthelimitationsofover-generalizationandfalseanalogies.Traditionally,fourdistincttypesofworkplacegovernancehavebeendescribed:dictatorial,paternalistic,institutionalandworker-participative;thischapterexaminesprimarilythelattertwotypes.Bothprivateandpublicinterestsareatstakeinanylabourrelationssystem.Thestateisanactorinthesystemaswell,althoughitsrolevariesfromactivetopassiveindifferentcountries.Thenatureoftherelationshipsamongorganizedlabour,employersandthegovernmentwithrespecttohealthandsafetyareindicativeoftheoverallstatusofindustrialrelationsinacountryoranindustryandtheobverseisequallythecase.Anunderdevelopedlabourrelationssystemtendstobeauthoritarian,withrulesdictatedbyanemployerwithoutdirectorindirectemployeeinvolvementexceptatthepointofacceptingemploymentonthetermsoffered.Alabourrelationssystemincorporatesbothsocietalvalues(e.g.,freedomofassociation,asenseofgroupsolidarity,searchformaximizedprofits)andtechniques(e.g.,methodsofnegotiation,workorganization,consultationanddisputeresolution).Traditionally,labourrelationssystemshavebeencategorizedalongnationallines,butthevalidityofthisiswaninginthefaceofincreasinglyvariedpracticeswithincountriesandtheriseofamoreglobaleconomydrivenbyinternationalcompetition.Somecountrieshavebeencharacterizedashavingcooperativelabourrelationsmodels(e.g.,Belgium,Germany),whereasothersareknownasbeingconflictual(e.g.,Bangladesh,Canada,UnitedStates).Differentsystemshavealsobeendistinguishedonthebasisofhavingcentralizedcollectivebargaining(e.g.,thoseinNordiccountries,althoughthereisamoveawayfromthis,asillustratedbySweden),bargainingatthesectoralorindustriallevel(e.g.,Germany),orbargainingattheenterpriseorplantlevel(e.g.,Japan,theUnitedStates).Incountrieshavingmovedfromplannedtofree-...
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