UNIT – I Lesson 1 HRM – AN OVERVIEW Lesson Outline Nature of ...

• Administrative Issues
NEGOTIATING
These include such issues as seniority, employee discipline and discharge
procedures, employee health and safety, technological changes, work rules,
job security, training and the like.
Preparations having been made and issues been identified, the next logical step in the
collective bargaining process is negotiation. The negotiation phase begins with each side
presenting its initial demands. The negotiation goes on for days until the final agreement is
reached.
SETTLEMENT AND CONTRACT AGREEMENT
After an initial agreement has been made, the two sided usually return to their respective
constituencies to determine whether what they have informally agreed upon is acceptable.
In this stage, the union-negotiating team explains and puts the agreement to the
union members for a vote. If voted, this agreement is formalized into a contract. It is
important that the contract must be clear and precise.
ADMINISTRATION OF THE AGREEMENT
The agreement must be implemented according to the letter and spirit of the provisions of
the agreement. Faculty implementation or violation of any provision leads to disputes. The
HR must play crucial role in the day –to day administration of the contract. He or she
advises on matters of discipline and works to resolve grievances arising out of the
agreement.
ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESSFUL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
The following conditions favor collective bargaining:
• There should be a single union, or in case of multiple unions, a common agreement
among them. Clash of interests among unions, leads to chaos and uncertainty,
which would result in a loss to the employees.
• Management should be open to the requests of the trade unions and should identify
the union representatives.
• The culture of the organization should foster the right spirit for collective
bargaining to be successful.
• The role of a third party should be minimized and agreements should be based on
bipartite bargaining.