1. Employee Participation
Industrial democracy, the role of trade unions & ACAS

2. Trade Union
A pressure group that represents the interests of people at work
Craft union
Industrial union
General union

3. Negotiation Collective bargaining
Union representatives in an organisation discuss with management the issues that affect employees in that organisation

4. Representation
Trade unions also represent individual union members when they have problems at work
Offer legal representation, e.g. compensation for work-related injuries

5. Works council
Committee of management & workforce representatives that meet to discuss company-wide issues, e.g. training, investment & working practices
Bargaining over issues such as wages, terms of employment & productivity is left to trade union negotiations

6. European works councils
Under EU law, large companies operating in two or more EU countries must set up European works councils
Aim is to ‘improve the right to information and to consultation of employees’
Aim to restrict power of multinationals & to provide workers in different locations with the opportunity to discuss common concerns

7. Do trade unions benefit employers?
Valuable communication link between management & the workforce
Management can avoid time-consuming bargaining & negotiation with individual workers
Strong union may encourage management to take workers’ needs seriously  improved morale  increased productivity, etc
Ease situations such as relocation, downsizing,etc

8. Industrial dispute
A disagreement between management & the trade union representing
Industrial action = measures taken by employees to halt or slow production or disrupt services in order to put pressure on management during an industrial dispute
Strike
Overtime ban
Work to rule
Go-slow

9. Single-union agreement
Recognition by a firm of only one trade union for collective bargaining purposes
No-strike agreement
Pendulum arbitration
System of binding arbitration in which an independent person or panel must decide in favour of one side or the other

10. ACAS
Advisory, conciliation & arbitration service