MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
MODULE OUTLINE: HRM 109-INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
LECTURER: P. SIBANDA (/)
Office: NSB24
THE MODULE: -
- Explores on the nature of the employment relationship,
- Examines the different perspectives in analysing Industrial Relations,
- Examines the different perspectives in analysing the worker problem,
- Examines the roles of various parties in Industrial Relations,
- Explores on Industrial Relations dynamics in the 21st Century and key issues driving change in Industrial Relations.
AREAS OF STUDY
1Background to the study of Industrial Relations
Academic Study of Industrial Relations - Definition of industrial relations (institutional and conceptual definitions of industrial relations), the growth of industrial relations as a discipline, key elements in industrial relations.
2The Employment Relationship
The employment relationship as the starting point in analysing industrial relations, the nature of the Employment Relationship,The Employment Contract (origins, types, elements etc.), the concepts of power, conflict and job regulation and their implications on the study of Industrial Relations
3Industrial Relations Perspectives or Frames of Reference
The rationale for understanding industrial relations frames of reference, the influence of frames of reference on the management of industrial relations in organisations, the common frames of reference (Unitary perspective, Pluralist perspective, Marxist perspective, Neo-pluralism etc.)
4Employers and the management of Industrial Relations
Defining management, historical features of labour management, the micro and macro- roles of management in industrial relations, management and labour control in employment, the managerial prerogative, management styles in employment relations, management and employers organisations,
5Trade Unions
The rationale for studying worker organisation in industrial relations, definitions of trade unions, types and functions of trade unions, trade unions and workplace democracy, trade union structure and organisation, trade union democracy, contradictions in trade unionism, historical developments of trade unions in Zimbabwe, trade unions and workplace relations, the future of trade unions in industrial relations
6The State and Industrial Relations
Rationale for the intervention of the state in industrial relations, definition of the state, perspectives on the state’s intervention in IR, forms of state intervention, Zimbabwe’s experiences of the state and industrial relations, the changing and future role of the State in industrial relations
8Collective Bargaining
Definition of Collective Bargaining, collective bargaining and the regulation of conflict, types and functions of collective bargaining, the roles of management and trade unions in bargaining, collective bargaining centralisation and decentralisation, collective bargaining as an instrument of control, collective bargaining in the pre and post- independence Zimbabwe, contemporary issues in collective bargaining
9Collective Job Action
Definition of collective job action, types and functions of collective job actions, collective job action and the regulation of employment, collective job action in Zimbabwe, the legal framework of collective job action
10Industrial Relations dynamics in Zimbabwe
An historical account of Industrial Relations and the organisation of workers in Zimbabwe, current issues on industrial relations, the influence of globalisation on local industrial relations, the emergence of Human Resource Management (HRM), the future of Industrial Relations and the study of HRM in Zimbabwe
Student Assessment Criteria
- The Course Work comprises One Essay, One In-class test and One Tutorial Presentation. Course work contributes 40% towards the Final Assessment Mark for the course.
- The Final Examination constitutes 60% of the final course mark and will be written at the end of the semester in line with University Examinations regulations. The examination is 3 Hours long and candidates shall answer 3 questions from at least 5 and each carrying 20 marks.
REFERENCES
Ackers, P & A. Wilkinson. (2003). Understanding Work and Employment: Industrial Relations in Transition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Blyton P., Turnbull P, (1994), the Dynamics of Employee Relations, MacMillan Publishing Company,
Farnham, D. (1997). Employee Relations in Context. London: Institute of Personnel & Development.
Flanders, A. (1975) Management and Unions: The Theory and Reform of Industrial Relations, Faber and Faber, London.
Fraser, S (1998). Is democracy good for unions? Dissent 45 (Summer.), 33-39.
Frenkel, S.J. and Coolican, A., Unions against Capitalism? A Sociological Comparison of the
Australian Building and Metal Workers’ Union, George Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1984.
Freeman R. B, and Medoff J., (1979), The two faces of unionism., Public Interest, no. 57, Fall, pp. 69-93. ,
Gwisai M, (2006), Labour and Employment Law in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Labour Centre, Harare
Hyman, R. (2008). “The State in Industrial Relations.” In Paul Blyton, Nick Bacon, Jack Fiorito, and Edmund Heery, eds., The Handbook of Industrial Relations. London: Sage, pp. 258–83
Kelly, J. (1998). Rethinking Industrial Relations: Mobilization, collectivism and long waves. London: Routledge.
Kelly, J. (ed.) (2002) Industrial Relations: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management. Volume, 1-1V. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Labour Act, (2006), Government Printers, Harare
Machingambi, I. (2006) A Guide to Labour Law in Zimbabwe. Beta Printers, Harare
Mugumisi S,(18 Nov 2009), Collective Bargaining: lessons form from 2009 focusing at 2010 and Regional Trends, Paper presented at the IPMZ Labour Briefing in Harare.
Murnighan, K. (1991), Dynamics of Bargaining Game,Englewood Cliffs, M.J.: Prentice Hall
Ramsay, H., “Industrial Democracy and the Question of Control”, in Davis, E. and Lansbury,
R. (Eds), Democracy and Control in the Workplace, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, 1986.
Schiphorst F.B, (2001), Strength & Weakness: the rise of ZCTU and the development of Labour relations (1980-1995)
Swanepoel et al, (2007), South African Employment Relations, Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria
Taxler.F, (2009), The Economic Effects of Collective Bargaining Coverage: A cross national analysis, ILO, Geneva
Salamon M (1998).Industrial relations Theory and Practice 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall. London
Sibanda, A. and Nyamukapa, D. (Ed) (2000) Industrial Relations and Structural Adjustment Programs in Africa, Zimbabwe Industrial Relations Association, Harare.
HRM 109 TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
- Analyse the assertion that there can be no employment relationship without a power to command and a duty to obey. (20 Marks)
- How do Fox’s (1973) industrial relations perspectives help in explaining the nature and organisation of the workplace? (20 Marks)
- a) What is the labour process? (5 Marks)
b) Analyse the strategies used by management to gain control of the labour process. (15 Marks)
4.Analyse how the performance of the labour market influences industrial relations making reference to Zimbabwe. (20 Marks)
5. Power is a crucial analytical concept in industrial relations. Discuss (20 Marks)
6. How does Ackers’ (2002) Neo-pluralism help in explaining the nature of industrial relations in society? (20 Marks)
8. Analyse the factors that have contributed towards the rise and fall of trade unions in the post-independent Zimbabwe (20 Marks)
9.“Collective bargaining represents the institutionalisation of a created common interest between capital and labour, resting on a common pre-condition of profitability…” (Davies, 1990:394). Discuss.
(20 Marks)
10. Discuss the role of the state in industrial relations. (20 Marks)
11. Industrial conflicts are not irrational, irresponsible or illegitimate, but rather the product of irreconcilable contradictions within capitalism (Hyman, 1972). Discuss
(20arks)
12. a) Define the term ‘managerial prerogative’.
(5 Marks)
b) Distinguish between ‘management by consent’ and ‘management by right’
(5 Marks)
c) Analyse the role of management at micro and macro levels.
(10arks)
13. Examine how trade unions in Zimbabwe have influenced relations between workers and their employers in today’s workplace, particularly with respect to employee representation and labour dispute management. (20 Marks)
14. With reference to scope, level, coverage and frequency, discuss the effectiveness of the collective bargaining machinery in Zimbabwe. (20 Marks)
15. Discuss the impact of globalisation on Industrial Relations. (20 Marks)
16. Discuss the argument by Hyman (1989) that capitalism creates conflict between employers and workers while simultaneously providing the later with a basis for challenging and changing capitalism. (20 Marks)
17. a) Analyse the elements of an employment relationship as a socio-economic exchange process. Use examples to illustrate your answer. (10 Marks)
b) Discuss the implications for the conduct of the employment relationship when the psychological contract is broken. (10 Marks)
18.Outline and explain Burawoy’s (1979) strategies for manufacturing the consent of labour at the point of production. (20 Marks)
19.a) “…his membership is the only way open to a worker, in shaping his occupational existence…” (Freund, 1972). Discuss with reference to trade unionism using the case of Zimbabwe. (10 Marks)
b) Analyse how trade union pluralism in Zimbabwe has influenced the growth and power of unions in collective bargaining (10 Marks)
20.Discuss the contention that the definition of Industrial relations as job regulation represent a narrow framework for the study of the subject. (20 Marks)
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