NEW DIMENSIONS IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

BY: MELITON V. SALAZAR

Industrial relations 

~ is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the

importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations. Industrial relations studies examine

various employment situations, not just ones with a unionized workforce.

Long Term

~ holding an asset for an extended period of time. Depending on the type of security.

Near Term

~ is used to describe events that may occur soon, in finance, the term is used to

explain the time frame during an event or change is expected to occur. It can mean different time frames based on the industry, security being traded or business.

NEAR TERM FORECAST

Increased instability in labour management Another oil price hike Double digit inflation High interest rate Unions were expected to put pressure on

wage to preserve the purchasing power of members.

Business operations were foreseen to slacken and cause jobs to be endangered.

Investment flows from local and foreign sources were anticipated to weaken.

LONG TERM FORECAST

Philippines will not again succumb to an authoritarian form of government

Union strategy in the near term will hinge on larger participation in congress and at all levels of decision making to safeguard and advance workers interest.

Augmentation of incomes. Demand for higher wages Attention and emphasis may shift to non-

inflationary employee services and benefits, livelihood, projects, cooperatives, and the like.

OUTLOOK FOR THE LONG TERM

Political changes and industrial relations globally.

The emergence of new democracies and market- oriented economies.

Reduction of the amount of economic aid it received.

The instigation of the European market may open larger opportunities for Philippine exports and imports and improve employment and incomes in the country.

Transfer of the WFTU to the ICFTU

Recession in the US is expected to affect Philippine exports.

An enormous imbalance and an international debt of staggering proportions.

Philippine may not expect to receive in the future the same volume of economic and military aid it received in the past.

UNIONISM IN THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR

A need to formulate new definitions for concepts already well accepted in the private sector.

A need to define- and accept- the scope and limitations of collective bargaining because government structures and process are in many respects vastly different from those existing in private enterprise.

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN IR

The need for the labour movement to intensify organizing activities and to form broad alliances with other sectors of society.

The need for creating large umbrella organization

Labour and management solving their differences at the bargaining table with least interference from the government.

Collective bargaining on sustentative issues will be left to the two side involved.

RESPONSE OF LABOUR AND MANAGEMENT TO STRUCTURAL CHANGE

The need to develop agriculture rapidly. The growing presence of multination. The adoption of new technology The overseas employment of Filipinos Ongoing search for more consensual- as

opposed to confrontational- approaches.

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. Collective agreements usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.

CONTENT CHANGE IN CBA

Profit sharing will take many forms, such as incentive schemes and performance bonuses.

Greater emphasis on job evaluation program Autonomy and decision making at the local

level will also result in greater innovation at the bargaining table as the two sides experiment with the solutions.

THE GREATEST CALAMITY IS NOT TO HAVE FAILED; BUT TO HAVE FAILED TO TRY