You are on page 1of 3

LABOUR RELATIONS

What are Labor Relations?


Labor Relations consist of giving advice and help to employees regarding work
rules, employment laws, legal issues and any work contract situation. HR should
train all employees on employment laws and have them available in all locations. If
there is some type of issue regarding the employee or employment laws, HR will
be the department to handle this.
Is the study and practice of managing unionized employment situations.
(Para el quiz)
The Labour Relations Division is responsible for undertaking the strategic
management of terms and conditions of employment for public servants that
promote harmonious labour/management relations, productive work environments,
and fair and consistent treatment of staff. The Division is responsible for the
consistent application of the Duty to Accommodate Injury and Disability Policy and
Guidelines and the Harassment Free and Respectful Workplace Policy and
Guidelines.
Advice and Adjudication provides advanced labour relations advice to managers
and human resource staff including collective agreement interpretations, human
rights requirements and other employment contract interpretations.
Accommodation,

Bargaining

and

Investigation is

responsible

for

implementation of the Duty to Accommodate Policy, investigations conducted


under

the

Respectful

Workplace

and

Harassment

Free

Policy,

and

collective bargaining

WORK ENVIRONMENT FOR LABOR RELATIONS


SPECIALISTS
Since union membership is steadily declining in most industries outside of the
public sector, labor relations specialists are now working more than ever before

with employees who are not members of a labor union, thus increasing job
opportunity. Gaining employment in nearly every industry in the workforce, labor
relations specialists often are hired within employment placement agencies,
professional employer organizations, business labor organizations, management of
companies or enterprises, insurance benefit companies, hospitals, and the state or
federal government. Although most work on a full-time basis in the typical 40-hour
work week in an office setting, labor relations specialists can even find contracting
positions outside of human resources departments or firms that involve frequent
travel.

HUMAN RESOURCES IN LABOR RELATIONS


Human resources plays a major role in the basic tenets of labor management relations, which
have to do with employee rights, election activities, collective bargaining and settling disputes.
Therefore, the most important things to know include how HR responds to employees' request
for representation by a union, as well as what to do when represented employees complain
about working conditions.

Employee vs. Labor Relations


HR practitioners generally make the distinction between employee relations and
labor relations, based on whether the workforce is unionized. Employee relations
refers to HR interaction with employees who aren't represented by a union and
labor relations refers to the HR-to-union interaction for employees who are
represented by a union.
National Labor Relations Act
Under the National Labor Relations Act, employees have the right to collective
activity, which includes assembling their voices in favor of union representation.
When a labor union wants to represent the employees of a non-union workplace,
they gather signatures from employees who want labor union representation.
When the union has at least 30 percent of employees' signatures, a labor union
files a petition with the National Labor Relations Board. Once a petition is filed, HR

receives notice of the petition and is officially on notice that nearly one-third of the
employees want to becoming unionized.
TIPS
Even before a labor union is elected to represent workers, HR must be aware of
activities in which it can't engage during the period between the petition filing and a
union election. HR, nor any of the employer's leadership, can promise employees
better wages if they disavow their interest in the union. Also, HR can't threaten,
interrogate or spy on employees' activities related to their support for a union. HR
practitioners often refer to these prohibited activities as PITS or TIPS -- Promises,
Interrogation, Threats or Surveillance or Spying.
Bargaining
The HR manager, director or company leader typically is responsible for bargaining
with the labor union to reach a union contract. In the collective bargaining process,
HR negotiates employee wages, benefits, work hours and a grievance process for
settling workplace disputes. Both HR and the labor union have an obligation to
bargain in good faith. Once the parties have a union contract, HR and the company
representatives have to wait for the union members to approve the contract.

You might also like