Labour Relations ( Unit 7 )

EXERCISES

1B Vocabulary
Match up the words on the left with the definitions on the right
1 collective bargaining                                 A a general term for strikes,go-slows,
                                                                        work-to-rules,and so on
2 a strike                                                    B a deliberate reduction in the rate of production
                                                                       as  a   protest
3 a go-slow(GB)                                        C a stoppage of work,as a protest against working

   or slowdown (US)                                      conditions,low pay, and so on
4 working-to-rule                                       D negotiations between unions and employers
                                                                     about their members' wages
5 industrial action                                       E to protest outside a factory or other workplace,
                                                                    and try to persuade workers and delivery drivers
                                                                    not to enter
6 to picket                                                 F deliberately obeying every regulation in an organization,
                                                                    which severely disrupts normal
                                                                    operations




2C Vocabulary
 Find the words in the text which mean the following.
1  people who work with their hands
2  a union for workers with a particular type of a job
3  to ask someone's opinion before making a decision
4  an opponent or emeny
5  too expensive,wasteful,loss-making
6  unlimited and unfairly used power
7  ending or relaxing restrictive laws
8  areas of the economy run by the local or national goverment
9  hostile,almost aggresive,seeking conflicts
10 a large corporation,made up of a group of companies

Who Needs Unions ?
  Manual an service industry workers are often organized in labour unions,which attempt to ensure fair wages,reasonable working hours and safe working conditions for their members. British unions are known as trade unions because,as in Germany, they are largely organized according to trade or skill: there is an engineer's union, an elecricians' union, a train-drivers' union , and so on. In other countries , including France and Italy, unions are largely political: workers in different industries join unions with a particular political position.
  Industrial relations tend to be better in coutries,industries and companies where communications are good , i.e. where management consults workers on matters that will concern them,where neither side treats the other as an adversary,and when unions do not insist upon the preservation of completely uneconomic jobs and working practices. Although some employers and managers (and political parties) oppose the very existence of unions - even though, like doctors,lawyers,accountants, and so on,they might themselves belong to a professional association with similar basic aims- many management theorists stress the necessity of unions. In the 1970s,Peter Drucker wrote that "Management is and has to be a power.Any power needs restraint and control - or else it becomes tyranny. The union serves an essential function in indusrial society."*Yet one of the chief objectives of right-wing governments in the 1980s ( e.g. in Britain and the USA ) was to diminish the power of trade unions , and to deregulate labour markets in accordance with the ideal of free markets.
As a result of deregulation,working conditions in many industries in many countries have worsened,leading to the creation of a great many casual , part-time,unskilled jobs done by non-unionized workers. France,for example, has the lowest number of workers in trade unions in the industrialized world. The unions now represent less than 10 % of the French work force , and most of those are in the public sector. The vast majority of French workers seem to have rejected the confrontational politics of the main uinions, notably the communist-controlled CGT. Consequently,when the largely non-unionized French lorry drivers blocked all the motorways in the summer of 1992,sriking over the introduction of a new driver's license with a penalty-point system ( and over their working conditions in general), the French government found no one to negotiate with.
In fact, a number of politicians and bussiness leaders are beginning to regret the weakness of unions . some managers, including Antoine Riboud, the former head of the huge Danone food conglomerate, actively encourage unionization because they insist that a big company needs someone to represent and articulate the needs og the employees and act as a social partner to the emplyer. But there is clearly a problem if workers believe that the unions are incapable of doing this, and choose not to join them.
*Peter Drucker: An Introductory of Management

TRADUCERE

         Cine are nevoie de sindicate ?
  Muncitorii din industria manuala si indusria serviciilor sunt deseori organizati in sindicate,care incearca sa asigure salarii cinstite,ore de lucru rezonabile si conditii bune de lucru pentru membrii lor. Sindicatele Britanice sunt cunoscute ca sindicate comerciale,deoarece,ca si in Germania, ele sunt organizate conform ocupatiilor,exista sindicatul inginerilor,sindicatul electricienilor,sindicatul masinistilor,si altele.In alte tari,inclusiv Franta si Italia,sindicatele sunt deobicei politice:muncitorii din diferite sfere de activitate aplica sindicatele cu o anumita pozitie politica.
  Relatiile industriale tind sa fie mai trainice in acele tari,industrii si companii,unde comunicarea este la un nivel avansat,adica unde managementul consulta angajatii privind aspectele ce trebuie sa fie luate in consideratie,în cazul în care nici una din părţi tratează celelalta ca un adversar, şi atunci când sindicatele nu insistă asupra păstrarea locurilor de muncă complet nerentabile si practicilor de lucru. Deşi unii angajatori şi manageri (şi partide politice) se opun însăşi existenţei sindicatelor - chiar un medic, avocat, contabil, şi aşa mai departe, s-ar putea ei înşişi sa adere la o asociaţie profesională cu obiective de baza similare- multi teoriticieni ai managementului ating intrebarea necisitatii sindicatelor. In anii 70 sec.XX,Peter Drucker a scris ca  " managementul este si trebuie sa fie o putere. orice putere necesita retinere si control,in caz contrar devine o tiranie. Sindicatul serveste drept functie esentiala in industria societatii."Totuşi, una din principalele obiective ale guvernelor de dreapta în anii 1980 (de exemplu, în Marea Britanie şi SUA) a fost de a diminua puterea sindicatelor, de a descentraliza pieţele forţei de muncă, în conformitate cu idealul pieţei libere.
  Ca urmare a dereglementarii, condiţiile de muncă în multe ţări industriale s-au înrăutăţit, conducând la crearea unor  locuri de muncă cauzale ,part-time,ce nu cer forte de muna calificata si ce sunt indiplinite de către lucrători neorganizati in sindicate.De exemplu in Franta,este cel mai mic numar de muncitori ce fac parte din sindicate. Sindicatele reprezinta mai putin de 10 % din toate forta de munca, si care mare majoritate fac parte din sectorul public. Mare parte din muncitorii francezi se simt respinsi de politica de confruntare a sindicatelor principale, în special CGT controlată de comunişti.În consecinţă, în cazul în care  mare parte şoferilor de camioane neorganizati in sindicatele franceze au blocat toate autostrăzile în vara anului 1992, protestind contra introducerii permisului nou de conducere cu un sistem de penalizare de puncte(si contra condiţiilor de muncă, în general), guvernul francez nici nu a gasit cu cine să negocieze .
 De fapt , exista un numar de politicieni si lideri in afaceri , ce regreta slabiciunea sindicatelor. Unii manageri , inclusiv Antoine Riboud , fostul şef a ganticei companii alimentare Danone,  încuraja sindicalizarea în mod activ, deoarece acestea insistă asupra faptului că o companie mare are nevoie de cineva sa reprezinte şi sa articuleze nevoile angajaţilor şi să acţioneze ca un partener social la angajatorului.Dar există în mod clar o problemă în cazul în care muncitorii cred că sindicatele sunt incapabili de a face acest lucru, şi alege să nu să li se alăture.





This clip is from a wide-ranging look at what trade unions are, what they do, who is in them, and stuff like that. This clip shows a bunch of young people dealing with the question: "what's the difference between trade unions and management?"



 Listen for the third time , if necessary , to check your answers.Complete the following sentences with these words .
1 Unions are a necesasary ......... for the interests of workers.

2 In countries like South Korea or Poland,or South Africa,trade unions have played an enormous ....... political and economic .........

3 As long as ............ have needs that necessitate to be .............. they'll need trade unions.

4 .................... employers, that want effective social ......... and want also a..............  and dynamic economy , should encourage trade unions.

5 In some of the most successful economies, a strong trade presence is recognized by ........... and accepted as a ................... by the government.

Authors : Kovalenko Andrew
                

                                                

Ovseanic Vladislav