Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Collective bargaining is a process of negotiating the working conditions and terms of employment between employees and their employer. These negotiations come up with a final agreement or amend certain parts of an existing contract that are in disputes. Parties representatives ends up with a written contract or otherwise. Some of the issues covered in the agreement are employees’ rights and privileges as well as responsibilities. The process of deriving an agreement is systematic (Kearney, and Carnevale 23).

Therefore each party representative has to collect views of their subject prior to a negotiation. A public sector collective bargain differs in certain aspects from private sector, where negotiations are bipartite. For instance the environment here is more influential in terms of public interest and macroeconomics policies, effects. Under these conditions, collective bargaining in a public sector forum is more likely to be heated and divisive.

The first cause of division in this kind of arrangement arises from diverging interest between parties and sticking with such a contradicting position. An example of diverging interest in this case is employee pursuing a raise in retirement package, while employer insists on contract basis employment terms. Employees’ interest in this negotiation is job security and employer wants to maintain productivity.

Dispute can occur where employees can employ tactics like strikes to push for their position and employer takes advantage of the situation to bring in other workers on contract while these are on strike. In most cases, negotiations will not end up in a win-win situation (Kearney, and Carnevale 44). However, going into a negotiation with a good faith will help to build consensus in these situations.

Choice of negotiator and tactic employed can be a second cause of division. A collective agreement is a product of effective negotiation. Negotiators are expected to articulate their parties’ positions in an effective manner. Basing arguments on reasoning, rationality and substantiating claims with evidence. Tactics employed include humor, persuasion and emotional appeals.

A public sector collective bargain will be affected by macroeconomic policies, and thus influence negotiators tactics and reasoning. Inflation and government revenue can be a factor considered by employer, while employees’ will do comparison with other sectors. In either cases hostility can arise and calmness can only be restored if there are breaks and truthfulness in negotiations.

Conclusion

Two factors make this negotiation divisive. One is parties’ position and second one is negotiators themselves. In both cases collective bargain can be positive if there is good faith and respect for each party.

Work Cited

Kearney Richard C., and David G. Carnevale. Labor Relations in the Public Sector. 4th ed. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2001. Print.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2019, March 26). Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collective-bargaining-in-the-public-sector/

Work Cited

"Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector." IvyPanda, 26 Mar. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/collective-bargaining-in-the-public-sector/.

References

IvyPanda. (2019) 'Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector'. 26 March.

References

IvyPanda. 2019. "Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector." March 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collective-bargaining-in-the-public-sector/.

1. IvyPanda. "Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector." March 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collective-bargaining-in-the-public-sector/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector." March 26, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/collective-bargaining-in-the-public-sector/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1