Critically analyse the role played by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union. From a tactical perspective, what do you believe they did well and what could they have done better. Justify your perspective, with reference to relevant theory and scholarly research literature on the role of unions and union behaviour.
The Rail, Tram and Bus union caused chaos in the streets of Sydney demanding for a pay rise in their salaries. The chaos temporarily interrupted the commuters of the train from using the trains to move to different places in Sydney. The aim of the report is critically analyse the roles which had been played by the RTB Union and the implications such roles had in Australia. The union is entrusted to cover all the employees in the rail, tram and bus industry. It was formed due to the consolidation of the Australian Federation union of Locomotive Enginemen, a small union of Railway Workers, Australian Railways Union and the Australian Tramways and Motors Omnibus Employees Association (Pelling, 2016). The Rail, Tram, and Bus union were primarily formed to protect and hence defend the rights of the members of the union, and it, therefore, acted as one strong, unified voice in their dealings with the private operators and the government. Further, the union is affiliated to a variety of other unions such as the Transport Unions Federation, Australian Labor Party, International Transport Workers Federation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The fundamental role played by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union is to represent and provide support to the members by protecting their interests through the services they offer.
The NSW rail workers had caused chaos in Sydney demanding for a pay rise in their salaries, and this affected the transport sector for about six weeks. However, on a Thursday, the Fair Work commission ordered all the rail workers to return to work and suspend their strike. The commission claimed that the strike would typically affect the different individuals who relied on the train for transport and also that there would be increased congestion on the roads. The RTB union was involved in the negotiation with the government on strike for a pay rise in the rail workers salaries for six weeks (Hunter, 2017). However, during the negotiations, the two parties only reached on the deal relating the working conditions of the workers. According to the secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, he also agreed with the governments’ package and that of the umpire’s decision.
It was claimed that the dispute was all about the working conditions of the rail workers and not a pay rise as made in the media. The rail workers initially were working overtime and hence demanded high pay. The package offered to the seven unions by the Sydney Trains constituted an extension of free travel using the opal cards, one-off $1000 payment and a 2.75 percent annual pay rise. The total package was now about 3.45 percent a year increase. The workers, however, rejected the package and demanded a six percent pay rise and an improved working condition (Edelstein, 2017). The suspension of the industrial action according to the union would do very little in resolving the problem at hand. After the union members had refused to take the offer, the NSW and Sydney Trains management tabled an offer for the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union to stop the industrial action. However, they rejected again, and the secretary of the union claimed that their members had overwhelmingly voted against the offer and hence the industrial action would continue as planned.
After consultation with the government, the leaders of the RTB Union declared that it will always comply with the rulings of the Fair Work Commission and this was however against their roles as a union which was to protect the interests of the members. The rail workers put numerous angry comments on the Facebook page of the union. They felt that they had been betrayed by their leaders and most of them were compelled to resign as members of the union. Additionally, the members wanted a new organization to be formed to help fight for the interests of the rail workers (Hunter, 2017). The main role of RTB Union was to protect the rights and interests of the workers typically. In a bid to achieve such a goal, the members signed a deal to the right for better pay and good working conditions. Such a bid was supported by other unions such as the Electrical Trades union and the affiliates of CRU.
According to the EA agreement, all the rail workers would be forced to leave without pay in a crackdown on sick leave, the contract and casual labor in all the networks would be expanded and this would be done forcefully. The agreement also advocated for the closure of operational facilities of the rail workers. The workers, therefore, had to break up with the RTB Union since it was in no position to fight for their rights (Edelstein, 2017). Also, a variety of new organizations of struggle had to be formed which would constitute the file and independent rank committees. Such committees would help in the unified control and coordination of the political and industrial campaign for the workers. Also, there was the need to oppose the corporatism of the unions which had previously failed in the fight for fairness and interests of the rail workers. The opposition of the unions was considered as a new political vehicle whose aim was to refuse the subordination of the public transport by a section of financial elites.
Based on the scenario, the RTB Union played the role of betrayal in the fight against low pay and harsh working conditions for the rail workers. The workers had initially voted against the 2.75 percent offered by the government on claims that it was small and they needed a 6 percent pay rise and good working conditions (Hassel, 2014). Instead of RTB rejecting the offer, the leaders of the union went ahead to negotiate with the government and later accepted the package offered to them, and this was against the objective of the union. They also played the role of protecting the interests of the members at some point of the industrial action. For instance, when the government first offered the package, they had to mobilise their members through voting to reject the deal.
Another role was on negotiating on behalf of the members of the union with the government. However, it turned out that they did not have the interests of the rail workers at heart. The RTB Union also played a fundamental role in looking into the suspected breaches of the discrimination laws and the workplace safety laws. The union played such a role through the organization of industrial action for 24 hours, and this, therefore, paralyzed the transport sector in the New South Wales.
Further, the union played the role of being in a position to resolve workplace matters such as the poor working conditions and low pay to the rail workers. Such a role was done by being the voice of the employees and acting as the bargaining representative during the negotiations for the pay rise (Benassi & Dorigatti, 2015). During the negotiation with the government and the fair work commission, they negotiated for change and other matters affecting the workers on behalf of them, and this formed their primary role during the industrial action. Besides the above mentioned roles by RTB Union, they also saved the time for the rail workers through collective bargaining. The above role was played by saving the workers from using their time and money to negotiate for better working conditions and pay rise.
According to Reinecke & Donaghey (2015), RTB Union additionally played a role of aiding the union members, and this was to ensure that the rail workers would be protected from sacking by the employers and being treated fairly. The reduction in the turnover rate was typically aimed at enabling the union members to secure a guaranteed pension and also to keep the members contented with the pay to be in a position of doing their jobs satisfactorily.
However, in as much as the Union played their part during the industrial actions, there are certain roles which they failed to display (Okamoto, 2017). For instance, they failed to work with their employers who are the union members to resolve some of the labor issues which had been raised by the members.Initially, the union leaders had rejected a pay rise which they considered very low, but later when they were negotiating for the second time, they unanimously accepted the offer. In the above instance, the members were never involved. The deal they secured was not a win-win for everyone in the union.
Lawrence (2016), argues that as a union, RTB union did well by acting as a bargaining representative during the bargaining negotiations on behalf of the rail workers. They negotiated on better working conditions and pay rise for the workers and this they did well up to some point when they gave in to the demands of the government which was also fighting in favor of the public wage policy. Another key thing which the union performed well was on being an advocate for the rail workers and this achieved by calling for an industrial action to fight for the protection of the interests and concerns which were relating to pay rise and proper working conditions (Greene & Kirton, 2015). When the government first offered the union a 2.75 percent pay rise package, they rejected, and this was a good sign that they were indeed advocating or the demands of the rail workers even though they later complied with the pressure from the fair work commission and the government.
The union also did well by bowing to the pressure from the government for the 2.75 percent pay rise. A pay rise above that which had been offered by the government and fair workers commission would have led to going against the wages public policy (Culpepper & Regan, 2014). The other workers in the other sectors would have also called for industrial action demanding for high pays, and this would have further resulted in inflation and hence the high cost of living for the ordinary citizens of New South Wales.
What the RTB Union Should Have Done Better
Based on the scenario, the Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union should have involved all the members of the union by seeking their opinions before making the decision of accepting the offer provided by the government. That way, there would have been no resentment and nasty Facebook comments on their made (Thompson, 2017). Additionally, the members would have not resigned from the union to form certain new organizations. Apart from the above mentioned thing which they should have done, the union should have also ensured the employers of the rail workers meet the minimum obligations as stipulated in the Australian employment law. To achieve such an objective, they should have rejected the package offered to them by the government until the demands and issues raised by the members have been taken into account. That way the interests and hence welfare of the rail workers would have been protected from violation by both the fair workers commission and the government in place (Galbraith, 2015).
According to Waterman (2016), before the acceptance of the package which had been offered by the government, the union should have first of all looked into some of the suspected violations of the laws such as workplace safety laws, discrimination laws, and the workplace laws. By checking the breaches of such laws, the union would have made better negotiations on behalf of the members, and hence they would have satisfied the interests of union members. Another thing that the RTB Union should have done better should have been to work together with the management of the union to assist in resolving the workplace issues which had been raised by the members such as pay rise and good working conditions (Mayo, 2014). In the case, the union did not work with the management as is expected of them and this is attributed to the fact that there was disunity on whether to accept the 2.75 percent package which had been offered by the government. They, therefore, failed to protect the interests of the members.
Implications of RTB union’s role in this dispute for the continuing relevance of unions in contemporary Australian society
According to Toubøl & Jensen (2014), one of the critical implications of the role which had been played by the RTB Union was the formation of strong organizations which could fight vastly for the rights of the members. Unlike the RTB Union whose leaders failed to negotiate properly on behalf of the rail workers, there has been the formation of different unions with leaders of integrity who accepted to fight for the rights of the workers in Australia. The other implication was on the management policy (Gall, 2017). The implication is divided into three categories that are the absence of flexibility in union systems, and this was witnessed in the RTB Union where the management was seen to be conservative and hence could not see the sense of a high pay rise and good working conditions.
In most of the workplaces which have unions acting on behalf of the workers, there exists fixed wages and wage compression unlike in the workplaces without the unions, and there are more chances that there is like to be the adoption of various contingent and incentive pay systems. The other category is which typically put a lot of focus on the efficiency that comes due to the existence of a union and hence there is usually the formalization and standardization of management policy (Nissen, 2016). A lot of unions have therefore been formed in the country due to the benefits attributed to them such ass efficiency in the performance of different tasks in most of the organizations.
The other implication has been on the recruitment and selection practices by firms in Australia, and the focus has been on the roles played by the unions (Gereffi & Lee, 2016). For instance, the organizations which have unions fighting for the interests of the employee have been seen to adopt just a few recruitment techniques such as the referrals and agencies. This is unlike the companies without the unions who use many methods of recruitment while hiring their workers.
According to Lange, Ross & Vannicelli (2016), the employment tests form the fundamental method which the unionised firms use during their recruitment of new staff, and this has the effect of formalization of the management decision making. The workers are involved in decision making by the management to avoid cases of industrial action which had been witnessed earlier. The effect of the role which was played by RTB Union was, therefore, the formation of the workers union n most of the organizations in Australia since they played a key role in the decision making by the top level management.
There has also been the positive impact on the workplace training and development in most of the organizations. For instance, the workers have obtained a lot of benefits from the training which are conducted by the unions, and this is unlike in the firms without unions where training is done through favoritism and nepotism (Tóth, Hermann, Da Silva & Montanarella, 2016). The unions have been considered to be playing certain key roles in training decisions.
Further, the role which had been played by RTB Union during the industrial action has had an implication in the performance appraisals and promotion such that the promotion procedures have become more formalized unlike in the past where it was informal, and individuals would just be picked up without following the proper channel (Tapia, Ibsen & Kochan, 2015). A lot of the organizations in Australia have adopted a formalized method of promotion, and this has been on the basis of good performance by the workers.
There have also been the implications on the labor management relations such that in all the human resource management, an individual who understands the labor-management relations is appointed to spearhead for the rights and the interests of their fellow workers. Also, organizations have joined various unions to comprehend certain issues pertaining to the labour management relations (Connolly, Marino & Lucio, 2014). Another effect based on the roles which had been played by RTB Union has been on the creation of divisiveness in the labour unions, and this has been attributed to the fact that leaders tend to be selfish thus fight to get their share of the package leaving the workers without protecting their interests.
Payton & Woo (2014), argues that there has been the implication on the pay and incentive system in most of the organizations such that there has been a reduced possibility of workers being paid variable. A lot of the employees now have their wages raised based on the level of performance and the also the overtime work done. It is therefore concluded that the unions formed have helped secure a fair pay and good working conditions for the members in Australia. Arguably, workers interest have now been protected by the newly formed unions.
The change in the organizational climate and culture is another implication of the roles which had been played by the union during the industrial action. Such a change in the organizational climate has resulted in a more structured communication between the workers and the management at the top level (Australia, 2017). The structured communication has enhanced performance and the rise in satisfaction of the employees who carry out their tasks effectively. The safety and health of the workers have been at the forefront of the unions, and this has widely contributed to the conducive environment in the workplaces for a variety of organizations.
According to Saundry, Latreille & Ashman (2016), there has been an implication on the amount of voice and communication of the unions in Australia, and hence they are still relevant in the nation. The voice of most of the unions has been the desire to enhance workers satisfaction and also to improve on the level of efficiency of the workers. Noticeably, unions have had the desire to prevent unnecessary lawsuits which are considered to be costly and results in employee discipline and hence the sacking typically without the presence of the workers’ voice in every particular organizations in the country (Chan & Hui, 2014).
Conclusion
In summary, the Rail, Tram and Bus Industry played a certain significant role during the industrial action while demanding for a pay rise and good working conditions. For instance, they negotiated during the collective bargain agreement on behalf of the members of the union and this resulted in an increase in their pay rise to a percentage of 2.75 percent. Additionally, they played a key role in fighting for the interests and the rights of the rail workers even though they never attained what was demanded by the members and this can be attributed to the fact that they saw the sense that such a pay rise was against the public wages policy.
The role which was played by the union had certain implications, and this has made unions relevant in most of the organizations in Australia. For instance, there was an implication on the management policies such that most of the management in various organizations saw the significance of good working conditions and pay rise to enable the employees to perform better. Another implication was on the labor-management relations in the firms, and a person was appointed to step up for the rights and interests of the workers. Other implications revolved around management flexibility, working climate and culture, pay and incentive systems and recruitment and selection criteria.
References
Australia, I. P. (2017). IP Australia and the future of intellectual property: Megatrends, scenarios and their strategic implications. Canberra: IP Australia.
Benassi, C., & Dorigatti, L. (2015). Straight to the Core—Explaining Union Responses to the Casualization of Work: The IG M etall Campaign for Agency Workers. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 53(3), 533-555.
Chan, C. K. C., & Hui, E. S. I. (2014). The dynamics and dilemma of workplace trade union reform in China: The case of Honda workers’ strike. In Strategies of Multinational Corporations and Social Regulations (pp. 203-217). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Connolly, H., Marino, S., & Lucio, M. M. (2014). Trade union renewal and the challenges of representation: Strategies towards migrant and ethnic minority workers in the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 20(1), 5-20.
Culpepper, P. D., & Regan, A. (2014). Why don’t governments need trade unions anymore? The death of social pacts in Ireland and Italy. Socio-Economic Review, 12(4), 723-745.
Edelstein, J. D. (2017). Comparative union democracy: Organization and opposition in British and American unions. Routledge.
Galbraith, J. K. (2015). The new industrial state. Princeton University Press.
Gall, G. (2017). The meaning of militancy?: Postal workers and industrial relations. Routledge.
Gereffi, G., & Lee, J. (2016). Economic and social upgrading in global value chains and industrial clusters: Why governance matters. Journal of Business Ethics, 133(1), 25-38.
Greene, A. M., & Kirton, G. (2015). The dynamics of managing diversity: A critical approach. Routledge.
Hassel, A. (2014). The Paradox of Liberalization—Understanding Dualism and the Recovery of the G erman Political Economy. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 52(1), 57-81.
Hunter, F. (2017). Community power structure: A study of decision makers. UNC Press Books.
Lange, P., Ross, G., & Vannicelli, M. (2016). Unions, change and crisis: French and Italian union strategy and the political economy, 1945-1980. Routledge.
Lawrence, E. (2016). Gender and trade unions. Routledge.
Mayo, E. (2014). The social problems of an industrial civilisation. Routledge.
Nissen, B. (2016). Unions in a Globalized Environment: Changing Borders, Organizational Boundaries and Social Roles: Changing Borders, Organizational Boundaries and Social Roles. Routledge.
Okamoto, H. (2017). Japan. In Towards Industrial Democracy (pp. 190-239). Routledge.
Payton, A. L., & Woo, B. (2014). Attracting investment: governments’ strategic role in labor rights protection. International Studies Quarterly, 58(3), 462-474.
Pelling, H. (2016). A history of British trade unionism. Springer.
Reinecke, J., & Donaghey, J. (2015). After Rana Plaza: Building coalitional power for labour rights between unions and (consumption-based) social movement organisations. Organization, 22(5), 720-740.
Saundry, R., Latreille, P., & Ashman, I. (Eds.). (2016). Reframing Resolution: Innovation and Change in the Management of Workplace Conflict. Springer.
Tapia, M., Ibsen, C. L., & Kochan, T. A. (2015). Mapping the frontier of theory in industrial relations: the contested role of worker representation. Socio-Economic Review, 13(1), 157-184.
Thompson, J. D. (2017). Organizations in action: Social science bases of administrative theory. Routledge.
Tóth, G., Hermann, T., Da Silva, M. R., & Montanarella, L. (2016). Heavy metals in agricultural soils of the European Union with implications for food safety. Environment international, 88, 299-309.
Toubøl, J., & Jensen, C. S. (2014). Why do people join trade unions? The impact of workplace union density on union recruitment. Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 20(1), 135-154.
Waterman, P. (Ed.). (2016). Labour worldwide in the era of globalization: Alternative union models in the new world order. Springer.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download