160 Glossary of Terms action (industrial action) Any deviation from normal working practice taken by an individual or a group collectively in pursuit of an objective on which they are in conflict with management. arbitration The process of resolving disputes by reference to the decision of a third party. ban overtime/overtime ban A particular type of industrial action where employees refuse to work outside their normal contractual working hours. blacking Type of industrial action which takes the form of a boycott, i.e. refusing to handle or work with particular items or people. blue-collar workers Workers employed in manual work. branch A local organisation of a trade union, geographically or organisation­ based. breakdown The point at which the parties in negotiation cannot reach agreement and discussions can no longer continue. check-off System whereby the employer deducts union subscriptions from wages on behalf of the union. claim A term applied to the proposal put forward by the employees at the beginning of a negotiation. clock on/clock off 'Clock on' describes the stamping of a time card by employees at the clocking-on machine when they start work. They will also have to clock off at the end of their work period. closed shop An agreement between an employer and trade union (or a number of trade unions) that all employees become or remain members of the union( s). code of practice Document issued by the government or a government agency to provide guidance on a specified topic. It can be quoted in legal cases. collective agreement An agreement reached between management and trade union(s) which covers a particular work group. Normally a collective agreement is specifically applied to a work group (often referred to as a bargaining unit) and is unlikely to affect other members of the union(s). collective bargaining The process through which management representatives and union representatives jointly make collective agreements. Collective bargaining is applied to those negotiations specifically concerned with the changing of terms and conditions of employment. conciliation The process of resolving disputes by involving a third party who does not make a decision but tries to aid the process of reaching agreement. contract of employment The fundamental legal relationship between employer and employee, governing what an employee must do and what he must receive. Some of the actual details concerning the job will be stated in the written terms and conditions of employment, which is not the contract of employment, merely evidence of it. convenor The senior shop steward within an organisation elected by the shop stewards. This person normally acts as the leader of the union representatives Glossary of Terms 161 and speaks on their behalf in meetings with management. custom and practice Unwritten understandings or beliefs which have grown up within a workplace over a period of time and which have come to be accepted as part of the rules of that workplace. demarcation An insistence that only particular workers are allowed to do particular tasks. differential Differences between rates of pay for individuals or groups for jobs (including additional payments which may be made for length of service, responsibility, etc.). They can be formally agreed or established in a piecemeal fashion. disciplinary procedure The method, often agreed between management and employees or their union(s), for dealing with shortcomings in employees' conduct and behaviour. dismissal The ending of an employee's employment with an organisation by the employer. dispute An unresolved issue between employees and their employer. 'Disputes procedure' is the method agreed by employers and employees which they will follow in order to resolve the dispute. district official The first level of full-time union official (paid by the union) with responsibility for the membership within a particular geographical locality. elected representatives Those people who through a method of voting have been given the job of acting on behalf of a group of employees. Often referred to as shop stewards. employee relations A general term to describe the way that people at work behave and relate to each other and the organisation for which they work. Often used in place of 'industrial relations', which may give an impression of a manufacturing environment or conflict-based relationships. employers' associations An organisation of employers in the same industry. Often an association will negotiate on behalf of the employers with the trade unions representing the employees of the member organisations and therefore establish national agreements. The associations offer other services to the member organisations, such as business advice, information and training. flexibility/job flexibility Job flexibility refers to the relaxing of the barriers between jobs, allowing employees to do other jobs as well. Often agreement for flexibility has to be negotiated and it is not a simple case of telling an employee that they will now do something else in order to perform effectively. flexitime An arrangement where individual employees can choose the times at which they start and finish work between certain stated hours. Normally there will be a core time where everyone is expected to be present, and normally the minimum number of hours to be worked within a period of four weeks will also be stated. genuine occupational qualification Reasons such as authenticity or decency which are allowed by law to exempt the employer from the sex and race discrimination legislation. grievance A complaint or problem raised formally by an employee. grievance procedure A formal process, often agreed between management and employees or their union(s) for resolving grievances. gross misconduct Certain actions in breach of company rules which are considered to be so unreasonable that they can lead to summary (instant) dismissal. guarantee payments Statutory payments which the employer must make to workers laid off or on short time. 162 Employee Relations health and safety representative A person elected to help monitor health and safety practices and employees' welfare and to ensure that the workplace is as safe and healthy as can be reasonably expected. induction training The training associated with introducing new employees to their place of work and to their job. industrial relations The relationship between employees, working groups and their representing organisations, on the one hand, and managers, employers and their representing organisations on the other. joint regulations There have to be rules about how organisations work if they are to function at all. Sometimes management establishes these rules indepen­ dently. But there are issues, particularly those which directly affect everyone in an organisation, on which rules are agreed between management and the workforce or, more normally, their representatives. This process is called joint regulation. labour costs Whenever work is being done, and whatever the job, the actual cost of doing the work will include an element of the cost of the person/people doing the work. This cost element is a proportion, related to the time spent on that job, of the total cost of employing that person/people. The total labour costs are the sum of those costs which an employer pays, both voluntary and statutory, for all the employees. lay-off Temporary suspension of the contract of employment; usually because no work is available. line management Refers to managers who are responsible for those parts of a company directly involved in providing the product or service which it sells (e.g. production, sales). Line departments are the opposite of 'staff' functions, like personnel and accounts, which provide a support service. local level Activities at a particular work site. member The name given to a person who has joined a union. national official A full-time official employed by the union, usually based at head office, working through the district official. They usually have trade or industry responsibility, or a geographical responsibility, or a mixture of both. negotiation The process whereby elected or nominated representatives for different groups discuss an issue in order to achieve a satisfactory solution for the parties concerned. negotiating rights When management has recognised a representing body, often a union, to negotiate on behalf of the people it represents, that representing body is said to have achieved negotiating rights. participation Describes the enormous variety of methods, structures and activities through which employees are involved in the decision-making process of the organisation which employs them. personnel department A specialist department concerned with the people employed in an organisation and the policies and practices which regulate employment. personnel manager/officer A person employed by the organisation to handle relationships within an organisation, who provides a specialist service to others. picketing The action of employees on strike, who gather outside their place of work peacefully to persuade others to join them. probationary period A fixed time (which will vary between organisations) during which a new employee will have to achieve a satisfactory work standard and only after which permanent employment commences. procedures Established methods for dealing with workplace issues like grievances and discipline. Glossary of Terms 163 production area The part of an organisation where products are manufactured. production manager The