Introduction
Employer - workers' representatives negotiations in a company
Pixabay free image
Collectively, through Unions, workers have more power. Especially when it comes to sit at the table with employers to bargain for better working conditions. Everywhere in the world, Unions have always negotiated on behalf of workers fairer wages and better employment terms – that’s their job!
Collective bargaining between employers and trade unions is a key mean to achieve a larger labour protection and to reduce inequality in the workplace.
The result of negotiations is an agreement that governs all different areas crucial to a good work environment, like salary, workers’ tasks, safety, benefits, holidays, working hours, career, etc. Furthermore, such agreements set the procedures for the management of problematic issues and conflicts (how the two parts will jointly address work issues and resolve possible disputes that arise between them).
There are issues which each employee working for and employer should address so as to learn what are the duties and the rights as a worker in the company, reminding that each worker sharing a similar working activities are considered under the same umbrella of rights and duties.
Task
Worker in an European factory
Pixabay free image
Your task is to fairly understand which are the trade union regulations and, accordingly, your rights with regards to the job you are doing or which has been offered to you. The know how you will develop in this module refer to the following areas:
- Collective agreement: what is the agreement that union representatives have signed with labour giver representatives so as to protect your work, define the fairest conditions in terms of time and wage, guarantee physical safety, recognise allowances. Which are the requirements on the employee in order to respect as well this agreement?
- Specific agreement: your employer and the union representatives of your company have probably negotiated further detailed features which apply specifically to your organisation and the type of job you and your colleagues are doing. It is good to know which are aspects touched by this specific negotiation
- Rights and duties: you shall be always aware of what is mandatorily required by you in terms of duties and as well be aware of the employer duties towards you as a worker.
- Procedures: it is also important to learn how to move and what are the necessary steps to be done in order to act properly and according to the agreement while you are working so as to comply with the requirements. At the same time, in case some issues concern you, you shall also know what to do and to whom refer so that your rights as a worker are properly respected and addressed.
In particular, you should grasp the following:
- If, for the working activity you are doing, there is a national employment agreement
- If, for the work you are doing, there is a business agreement
- Which is the minimum wage
- How many hours per week are you requested to work
- How many off working days (holidays) you can benefit from
- Which are your rights in particular circumstances such as illness, maternity/paternity, etc.
- Which are your rights and which are your duties so as to guarantee your safety and other colleagues safety on the job
- Who can help you to safeguard your rights within and outside your working place.
Videos
Warning: file_get_contents(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_d3ca2fcf86f74b52044f33d9724ab81e on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(http://youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=GZwQn4G18_M): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_d3ca2fcf86f74b52044f33d9724ab81e on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_7dba18ae531f9114ba4cb74a0f16ce91 on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(http://youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=h-VdeIZPDQo): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_7dba18ae531f9114ba4cb74a0f16ce91 on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_626241fcb1a2237a2328145d84a2602e on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(http://youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=hzNv8Cgknko): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_626241fcb1a2237a2328145d84a2602e on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_133ff4265f17f0d3c94aa71d764305ad on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(http://youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=gPPeDO4dMRA ): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_133ff4265f17f0d3c94aa71d764305ad on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(): http:// wrapper is disabled in the server configuration by allow_url_fopen=0 in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_b4b38008be03cc1389d5e4d58b93fdf3 on line 10
Warning: file_get_contents(http://youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=g-W5z97dZ88 ): failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/migreatoer/public_html/tmp/sourcerer_php_b4b38008be03cc1389d5e4d58b93fdf3 on line 10
