Developing and maintaining positive union management relations Essay

Developing and maintaining positive union management relations - Essay Example The negative history of industrial relations has to be overcome for all the stakeholders to achieve greater heights of competitive advantage and productivity. Poor union relations have many impacts. Key among them is lack of cooperation between the stakeholders. It has also caused a decline on workers productivity, tarnished the credibility and reputation of organizations involved, and impacted negatively on the working conditions and pay of the workers. To rectify the situation, all the stakeholders need to develop strategic partnerships, undertake joint training, improve the working conditions of the workers, actively engage in collaboration processes, and also streamline their communication processes. Developing a positive relationship with union leaders is of paramount importance if any gains have to be made. The leaders must have exemplary knowledge in union relations to be able to effectively steer the process. Negotiation and collective bargaining skills are of outmost importance here. Managers must realize that they have incredible influence on the employees' satisfaction and productivity at the workplace. Thus they must always strive to maintain strong, positive associations with their employees at the workplace if productivity has to be enhanced and positive union relations maintained. Effective communication is one of the most basic necessities towards establishing positive union management relations. Decisions must be communicated in an effective manner, not withstanding their unpopularity. All stake holders must be positively encouraged to contribute towards the well being of the organization. Effective communication will generally lead to the establishment of mutually beneficial solutions, where by all the stake holders will feel accommodated. In the process, partnerships are formed by the stake holders, either for good or bad intentions. All in all, positive union relations must be developed and maintained at all costs. Introduction The past few decades have witnessed an emergence of strong workers and labour unions, which have been mandated by the workers to guard their own interests. Among other functions, the unions are largely involved in negotiating for better working conditions and better pay packages for workers. They are run by representatives who are elected by the workers to advance their interests on their behalf. The representatives are very crucial in determining whether the unions will be effective in maintaining positive union management relations (Union relationships, 2007). In some of the countries around the world, workers' unions have mutated to major political parties, thus having a direct impact on the population of the respective countries. Maintaining positive union management relations is paramount if unions are to succeed in their core duties of guarding and promoting the rights of employees. Having sophisticated industrial structures, like is the case in the United States, may not be important as long as the relationships between the staff and their Union representatives are not in any way based on trust (Union relationsh