SOCIAL DIALOGUE
1. Introduction
A new type of job has been advertised in Belgium: companies not only need competence in
managing HR, but also in managing collective labour relations
This course aims to improve social dialogue through mutual understanding and to maintain and
develop social dialogue models based on mutual recognition (erkenning), respect and fundamental
rights
A conflict-free dialogue isn’t the aim of the course bc conflict is inevitable
The aim of the course is: a constructive conflict management based on an understanding of
the position, interest and motivations of the parties involved and a sound knowledge (een
gedegen kennis) of the formal and informal rules of the game
Employment relationship Is difficult because:
1) The job isn’t really defined (bv. Prof en university)
only the number of hours you will work is defined, not how you will teach, what you will
teach…
2) The work needs to be done under the the authority of the management
3) The rewards aren’t defined (status, compliments, tevredenheid job)
Contractual relationship between self-employed person & normal person (bv. plumber & me)
A lot potential for conflict in employment relationship
A constant need for cooperation (you want to work together) & for interest
Social dialogue tries to handle that conflict and ensure that the conflict inherent in the
employment relationship will not explode
Social dialogue: employer representatives (werkgeversvertegenwoordigers) will talk with the
employee representatives (werknemersvertegenwoordigers, vakbonden)
What can they do to make it just (rechtvaardig)?
Social dialogue is the result of the fact that the employment relationship is really difficult
1
,Employment relationship
Regulate labour market
Instead of being the cheapest and letting the employees work hard
Regulations about minimum wages, max working time
Can be national rules (about telework, digitalization…): made in parliament
Workers & employers together: negotiation and collective bargaining (onderhandelingen)
Collective voice is much stronger
2
, 2. Frames of reference / perspectives /
referentiekaders
= the way in which a person ‘perceives and interprets events through a conceptual structure of generalisations
or contexts, postpulates about what is essential, assumptions about what is valuable, attitudes about what is
possible, and ideas about what will work effectively’.
= it is built on a set of assumptions about how the world works and what is valuable
= it shapes one’s view of certain events + it is a set of ideas about how one can and should respond to
events and issues
Different perspectives on employment relations
1. Unitarist (one team)
- Unitary interests, but different roles WN’s en WG’s grotendeels zelfde belangen
- Property rights management rights manager leads the team
- Conflict = not normal bc the team should be working towards a common interest
if there is one, most likely it’s a communication problem
- Trade unions = unnecessary if you have good HR
- Powerdifferences (machtsverschillen) = not an issue bc everyone has a different role
in society but they want the same thing
- Voice = individual voice is enough
Classic thing of HRM
Critique:
- Not realistic bc conflicts are everywhere
- Serves the powerful
- Ignores power differences
- Paternalistic = making decisions for other people rather than letting them take
responsibility for their own lives
- Ignores the existence of any kind of collective interests of workers
Application:
- “don’t be evil” – Google
- Offices are sleek and modern and have amazing perks
- Soft HR approach, embracing the idea of fulfilment through work (idee van
voldoening door werk omarmd)
- Workers have a lot of autonomy but also by Google, these policies haven’t prevented
conflicts
2. Pluralist (two teams)
- Plurality of interests
- Labour ≠ a commodity (handelswaar)
- Conflict = normal, inevitable we accept conflicts, but need to institutionalize
(stabiliseren) them
because of the plurality of interests and the presence of conflict, employee voice
in this perspective should be organised collectively
trade unions
3
, - Trade unions = institutions to defend the interest & help to balance the power
- Role management is to negotiatie, bargain and compromise between the interets of
both parties
- Power = clearly unbalanced in advantage of the employer, there is search for balance
employees can redress some of the power through collective organisation
- Voice = collective voice is necessary
Institutional research, comparative studies
Critique:
- Limited scope: focus too much on creating structures and institutions that should
institutionalize conflict
by creating all these meetings (bijeenkomsten) and methods to reconcile
(verzoenen) the different interests of employers and employees, the common goal
(earning a living) may suffer
- Supports the status quo (and thus the powerful): the pluralistic view is too optimistic
about the possibility of balancing the interests of both groups through trade unions
and collective bargaining
according to this critique, the power differentials in society are too big that they
can’t easily bridged and such an assertion be counterproductive for workers
- Institution fetishism: the focus on structures and rules is so dominant that human
agency is relegated to the background (het menselijk handelen wordt naar de
achtergrond verwezen)
Application:
- Institutionalizing conflict at TEC very regular strikes, a plan was drawn up to
restructure the social dialogue institutions in order to institutionalize the conflict
the plan included clarifying (verduidelijken) the status of the unions and the
different levels of dialogue, setting up a works council for the whole group and
introducing specific procedures to prevent or resolve conflicts
it was not to avoid social dialogue or to prevent the union from doing its job, but
rather to discuss issues before they became conflicts
- Volkswagen has a ‘Labour Relations Charter’ which aims to institutionalize social
dialogue throughout the VW Group
for example: “participation in the spirit of cooperative conflict management
requires that the form of cooperation be such as to enable stable industrial
relations”
noted should be that such a close relationship between the management and
unions can also lead to problems, as was in 2005, when the chairman of the works
council was implicated in a corruption scandal involving expensive trips to luxury
brothels abroad
4
1. Introduction
A new type of job has been advertised in Belgium: companies not only need competence in
managing HR, but also in managing collective labour relations
This course aims to improve social dialogue through mutual understanding and to maintain and
develop social dialogue models based on mutual recognition (erkenning), respect and fundamental
rights
A conflict-free dialogue isn’t the aim of the course bc conflict is inevitable
The aim of the course is: a constructive conflict management based on an understanding of
the position, interest and motivations of the parties involved and a sound knowledge (een
gedegen kennis) of the formal and informal rules of the game
Employment relationship Is difficult because:
1) The job isn’t really defined (bv. Prof en university)
only the number of hours you will work is defined, not how you will teach, what you will
teach…
2) The work needs to be done under the the authority of the management
3) The rewards aren’t defined (status, compliments, tevredenheid job)
Contractual relationship between self-employed person & normal person (bv. plumber & me)
A lot potential for conflict in employment relationship
A constant need for cooperation (you want to work together) & for interest
Social dialogue tries to handle that conflict and ensure that the conflict inherent in the
employment relationship will not explode
Social dialogue: employer representatives (werkgeversvertegenwoordigers) will talk with the
employee representatives (werknemersvertegenwoordigers, vakbonden)
What can they do to make it just (rechtvaardig)?
Social dialogue is the result of the fact that the employment relationship is really difficult
1
,Employment relationship
Regulate labour market
Instead of being the cheapest and letting the employees work hard
Regulations about minimum wages, max working time
Can be national rules (about telework, digitalization…): made in parliament
Workers & employers together: negotiation and collective bargaining (onderhandelingen)
Collective voice is much stronger
2
, 2. Frames of reference / perspectives /
referentiekaders
= the way in which a person ‘perceives and interprets events through a conceptual structure of generalisations
or contexts, postpulates about what is essential, assumptions about what is valuable, attitudes about what is
possible, and ideas about what will work effectively’.
= it is built on a set of assumptions about how the world works and what is valuable
= it shapes one’s view of certain events + it is a set of ideas about how one can and should respond to
events and issues
Different perspectives on employment relations
1. Unitarist (one team)
- Unitary interests, but different roles WN’s en WG’s grotendeels zelfde belangen
- Property rights management rights manager leads the team
- Conflict = not normal bc the team should be working towards a common interest
if there is one, most likely it’s a communication problem
- Trade unions = unnecessary if you have good HR
- Powerdifferences (machtsverschillen) = not an issue bc everyone has a different role
in society but they want the same thing
- Voice = individual voice is enough
Classic thing of HRM
Critique:
- Not realistic bc conflicts are everywhere
- Serves the powerful
- Ignores power differences
- Paternalistic = making decisions for other people rather than letting them take
responsibility for their own lives
- Ignores the existence of any kind of collective interests of workers
Application:
- “don’t be evil” – Google
- Offices are sleek and modern and have amazing perks
- Soft HR approach, embracing the idea of fulfilment through work (idee van
voldoening door werk omarmd)
- Workers have a lot of autonomy but also by Google, these policies haven’t prevented
conflicts
2. Pluralist (two teams)
- Plurality of interests
- Labour ≠ a commodity (handelswaar)
- Conflict = normal, inevitable we accept conflicts, but need to institutionalize
(stabiliseren) them
because of the plurality of interests and the presence of conflict, employee voice
in this perspective should be organised collectively
trade unions
3
, - Trade unions = institutions to defend the interest & help to balance the power
- Role management is to negotiatie, bargain and compromise between the interets of
both parties
- Power = clearly unbalanced in advantage of the employer, there is search for balance
employees can redress some of the power through collective organisation
- Voice = collective voice is necessary
Institutional research, comparative studies
Critique:
- Limited scope: focus too much on creating structures and institutions that should
institutionalize conflict
by creating all these meetings (bijeenkomsten) and methods to reconcile
(verzoenen) the different interests of employers and employees, the common goal
(earning a living) may suffer
- Supports the status quo (and thus the powerful): the pluralistic view is too optimistic
about the possibility of balancing the interests of both groups through trade unions
and collective bargaining
according to this critique, the power differentials in society are too big that they
can’t easily bridged and such an assertion be counterproductive for workers
- Institution fetishism: the focus on structures and rules is so dominant that human
agency is relegated to the background (het menselijk handelen wordt naar de
achtergrond verwezen)
Application:
- Institutionalizing conflict at TEC very regular strikes, a plan was drawn up to
restructure the social dialogue institutions in order to institutionalize the conflict
the plan included clarifying (verduidelijken) the status of the unions and the
different levels of dialogue, setting up a works council for the whole group and
introducing specific procedures to prevent or resolve conflicts
it was not to avoid social dialogue or to prevent the union from doing its job, but
rather to discuss issues before they became conflicts
- Volkswagen has a ‘Labour Relations Charter’ which aims to institutionalize social
dialogue throughout the VW Group
for example: “participation in the spirit of cooperative conflict management
requires that the form of cooperation be such as to enable stable industrial
relations”
noted should be that such a close relationship between the management and
unions can also lead to problems, as was in 2005, when the chairman of the works
council was implicated in a corruption scandal involving expensive trips to luxury
brothels abroad
4
