1. LABOUR RELATIONS

2. ...or INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS?
employers      vs. employees ↓
management  vs. employees
LABOUR UNIONS
TRADE UNIONS
Labour relations = industrial relations

3. Negotiations between employers and employees focus on 3 main issues:
wages
working hours
working conditions

4. Negotiations over 3 main issues:
Fair wages
Reasonable working hours
Safe working conditions

5. What else do unions deal with?
Redundancies and layoffs (workers are made redundant)
redundancy pay , severance pay
collective bargaining: social partners (employers, employees, the government)
industrial action* - pay to workers on strike
legal representation (e.g. in unfair dismissals, injuries at work, harassment cases, …)
benefits for members (e.g. Christmas bonus, travel discounts, …)
pressure groups (lobbying, influencing the government)
*RB: p.66

7. Is this industrial action. Which type. Check RB: p. 66
Is this industrial action? Which type? Check RB: p.66. Source: Jutarnji list (

8. Walmart and Black Friday strikes
Robert Reich’s view (The Guardian)

9. Health and pension benefits Unionization Grievances Wages
Before you read the text on Walmart, check the meaning of the words below with your colleagues.
Hourly wage
Health and pension benefits
Unionization
Grievances
Wages
Working conditions
Excessive hours
Strike
Pickets
Unfair labour practices

10. While reading the text, please a) underline the parts that answer the questions below and b) give each paragraph a heading (naslov), i.e. the main idea of the pg. in as few words as possible (14 headings).
1.Are private-sector workers more likely to be union members today? What are the implications of this state of things? 2. How does the Walton family wealth compare to lower-income US citizens? 3. What do the Walmart workers intend do? Why? 4. How is Walmart reacting to such intentions? 5. What should be done to resolve the problem according to the text? Why?

11. MAJOR CHANGES ON THE LABOUR MARKET!

12. GIG ECONOMY – GOOD OR BAD?

15. Hillary Clinton criticises the Uber business model for exploiting workers (The Guardian, 2015)

16. https://www. theguardian

17. Read about industrial relations in Croatia (optional)