The human resource management of any organization should allow workers to join unions. Unions are mostly important for the companies that mistreat their employees, have poor management system, and those that give below average pay and benefits. Those companies that are not up to standards, there is need for an employee union that can fight for their rights as workers. Some companies deny their workers the right to form a union and that is against the company rules and regulations (Dessler, 2004).
Wal mart is one of those companies that have been opposing the idea of workers joining a trade union. These trade unions assist the workers to come together and achieve some common objectives like good working conditions. The leader of the union negotiates with the employer on behalf of its members. The things that are negotiable through the unions are salaries, working conditions, process of promotion, firing and hiring among others.
Wal-Mart has been opposing the joining of union by its workers. A lot of critics have been subjected to the human resource management of the organization to no success. The main criticisms received by the management of Wal-Mart are from labor unions, the surrounding community, and religious groups, among other organizations.
These criticisms are as a result of its poor company policies and bad business practices. Despite all those complains the human resource management denies that its company has done nothing wrong. In the year 2005, trade unions came up with special groups and new websites with the main aim of influencing the public ideas against the opposition of unionization.
It’s the duty and responsibility of the human resource management team of any company to recruit, pick, train, and decide on what basis to pay the employees.
Its part of the human resource management responsibilities in any company to ensure that the employees are treated well without discrimination. The value and the integrity of the human resource management are virtues that are reflected to the employees and the entire company. If the HR system fails in one aspect the whole company might end up failing as it follows the top team (Dessler, 2004).
For the Wal-Mart employees to call for the need of joining union it was out of discrimination policies from the human resource system. For instance women were being discriminated by being paid less salary than men, and they could never be promoted despite how excellent their performances might be. Incase women complain about these types of discrimination the human resource system would demote them and even others might be forced to loose their jobs.
The human resource management of Wal-Mart made everything worse by implementing the anti union policy. Without the interruption of the union, Wal-Mart could fire and hire its workers as they wish.
Once they employ a new employee, he or she is welcomed with a misinformation videotape to discourage the idea of joining the labor union. Therefore, the employees are warned against signing a union card, and hence they adhere due to fear of loosing their jobs (Dessler, 2004). The new employees are convinced that by joining the union there would be a negative implication to them and the whole company.
The main reason behind Wal-Mart opposing the unionization is to reduce costs related to union workers and to avoid interaction of the union leaders in its business operations. The efforts of the human resource system of Wal-Mart to cut down various costs, is doing more harm to the company’s reputation.
Opposing unionization may affect Wal-Mart profitability in the future after. It’s the duty of the human resource system to work towards promoting a good culture of the organization for it to have an assurance of future continuity and a good reputation.
Reference List
Dessler, G. (2004). Human Resource Management, (10th ed), ISBN0131440977, 9780131440975, Pearson/Prentice Hall, New Jersey.