FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL

CONFLICT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 Define Industrial conflict
 Discuss the role of industrial conflict in IR

 Find out what are the causes of industrial conflicts

 Discuss conflict growth and manifestation in different

forms
 Analyze trends and effects of strikes

 Outline major processes of conflict resolution

 Describe a framework for conflict resolution

INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT
 It is any disagreement, contradiction or incompatibility
between employers and employees.

 Kornhauser – The total range of behaviours and attitudes

that express opposition and divergent orientations
between industrial owners on the one hand and working
people and their organizations on the other.
 IR conflicts have many negative effects, but also some positive
ones. Conflicts are not always bad.
 Positive roles of conflict:

 The system strengthening function – help build gaps

 The pressure function – draws attention of rule-makers to the

prominent problems facing by workers
 The testing function – provide a testing ground for the
relevance and suitability of workplace rules
 The diffusion function – when expressed, diffuse covert
dissatisfaction
CAUSES FOR INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT

 Interests of employers and workers may collide:

 –‘contradictory and antagonistic’ (Edwards 2003, p. 16)

 –employers exert control and demand productivity

improvement
 –employees are likely to expect: increased compensation
for their effort; interesting work; and other opportunities
to develop themselves.
 –Perceived unfair distribution of incomes and power
TWO BROAD SCHOOLS TO EXPLAIN THE CAUSES

 The industrial structuralist

 Conflict is built into the very system of industrial
organization
 Hyman’s summary of the causes of industrial conflict: 3
reasons
–The economic organization – laws of deficiency – scarcity
or limited resources - income discontent
–The technological organization - demands workers
adjustment to the needs of technology - job security
–The human organization – many conflicting functions,
roles and hierarchies - managerial control.
FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT

Overt or Covert
Collective or Individual
Pro-active or Defensive
Employer or Employees expressed
Employer expressed
Overt
- Lock-out
- Close-down
- Production transfer
- Dismissal
Covert
Victimization
Withdrawal of benefits
Harassment
Discrimination
THE SOCIAL STRUCTURALIST

 The social integration thesis – integration or isolation of

workers in society determines the degree of conflict

 Marx’s theory of alienation – in modern industry

workers are isolated both from their means of production
and the product they produce – conflicts.
FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT

Stages of conflict manifestation – conflicts grow over a

period of time and expressed after certain stage
1.Conflict formation stage – latent stage
2.Perceived stage – both parties become aware of
possibility of conflict
3.Felt stage – experience of discomfort with managerial
decisions
4.Manifest stage - expressed
FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT

Overt’ conflict: Employees expressed

–Strikes
–refusal
–boycotts
–sabotage
–Pickets
–sit-ins
–overtime ban
–Industrial disputes
These are ‘collective’ and can be ‘pro-active’ or ‘defensive’.
FORMS OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT

‘Covert’ conflict: Employees’ expressed

–work to rule
–absenteeism
–sabotage
–turnover
–theft / pilfering
–indifference
–slow performance – go-slow
–failure to share knowledge
–‘whistle blowing’.
Can be ‘collective’ or ‘individual’ and can be ‘pro-active’ or ‘defensive’.
STRIKES
Most popular form of expressing industrial conflict
 Strike is a ‘cessation of work’ by a number of workers
acting in combination under a common understanding
with a concerted action to bring pressure on the
employer to accept the demands put forth by them or
withdraw the decision made by the employer.
 ‘Strike’ has been considered as a powerful weapon in the
armoury of the organized working class to bring down
the recalcitrant employer.
 STRIKES

“strike” means the act of a number of workers who are or have been in the
employment —
(a) discontinue their employment either wholly or partially, or in reducing the normal
performance of it;
(b) breach their employment contract which results in a reduction or discontinuance in
the work of the employer;
(c) refuse or failing after such discontinuance to resume or return to their employment;
(d) refuse or failing to accept engagement for work in which the workers are usually
employed; or
(e) reduce their normal output or their normal rate of work with the intention of
disrupting the work,

if the act is due to a combination, agreement, common understanding or concerted

action, expressed or implied, made or entered into by the workers – ERP 2007
 TYPES OF STRIKES

Purpose: Primary or Secondary or Sympathy

Target: General or political strike or jurisdictional
Coverage: whipsaw or partial or full strike
Organisation: official or wildcat

Legality of Strike: Read Part 18 of ERP 2007

 It should be in relation to officially acceptable trade dispute

 All avenues should have been exhausted

 serving the notice on the Registrar– 21 days

 Majority of the members have approved it

 Not declared unlawful by the government

CONFLICT RESOLUTION METHODS

 Internal: Grievance Procedure

 Mutual: Negotiations / collective bargaining

 External:

 - Conciliation

 - Mediation

 - Arbitration

 - Adjudication
 DISPUTE RESOLUTION

 The process of industrial relations consists of the mechanisms

for resolving industrial disputes and promoting L-M cooperation.
 Dispute resolution Methods (reactive)

 Collective bargaining – is a process of management and unions

sitting across the table and negotiating and sorting out differences
on the issues and entering into a contract.
 Grievance procedure – violation of contract or any other
legitimate claim of the employee. There are three types of
grievances: legitimate, imaginary, and political.
 Conciliation – process of involvement of impartial third party to
bring the parties together to discuss the dispute and to reach an
agreed settlement – no solutions will be suggested
 Mediation – involvement of third party to assist the parties and
promote a settlement
 Arbitration – referring a dispute to an impartial and mutually
agreed third person for his decision. It may be of compulsory
or voluntary, and advisory or binding nature.
 Adjudication – is a process of referring a dispute to the
government machinery for resolution like labor court, tribunal,
arbitration board