Perspectives in Industrial Relations

When parties to the industrial relation process meet for the purpose of negotiating an agreement, they bring certain perspectives to the negotiating table. Three perspectives are provided below but there are more:

Unitarism

Employers and employees can and do share objectives Harmony is the norm, conflict is irrational Conflict is the product of mischief

Pluralism

An enterprise has people with a variety of different objectives Conflict is regarded as inevitable and legitimate Disputes are about pay and conditions and not about “class struggle”

Marxism

Disputes are a reflection of “class struggle” – the disparity between those who supply capital and those who supply labour Conflict is a source of social change