Edith Cowan University MAN6708: Managing Employment Relations Report

This report analyzes the Chemist Warehouse strike, examining it through Alan Fox's frames of reference: pluralism, unitarism, and radicalism. The analysis explores the issues of sexual harassment, casual employment, and wage disparities that fueled the strike. The report identifies these problems, drawing on the case study, and proposes solutions based on the principles of improved employment relations. It considers the ethical and social consequences of the conflict, highlighting the impact on both the company and the workers. The report emphasizes the need for better management practices, including addressing worker grievances, promoting a safe and respectful work environment, and ensuring fair compensation. The study highlights the importance of understanding and managing employment relations to avoid conflicts and ensure a harmonious and productive workplace.

Running Head: MANAGING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
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MANAGING EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note:

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Pluralism:
Alan Fox propagated his famous ‘frames of reference’ regarding he employment
relationship and that the managers have alternative ways of analyzing these problems. He
mentioned three ideal frames of which Pluralism is a part. He says- “In place of a corporate unity
reflected in a single focus of authority and loyalty, we have to accept the existence of rival
sources of leadership and attachment (Bach & Bordogna 2016). They need to be accepted above
all, by whoever is ruling the plural society in question.” The organization in this case is a chemist
warehouse which is located in two states and in the storehouse of the Preston in Melbourne,
Somerton in Victoria. Another storehouse where the strike broke out- Eagle Farm in Brisbane.
There are a legitimate union of the workers hence their revolt has taken a larger shape. The strike
has been going on for a long time and the have legitimate issues for revolting against the
organization. They have the complete right to challenge the managers as they were facing sexual
harassment and causality in approach to their job profile. The strike been going on peacefully
without any illegal interventions (Conway, Fu, Monks, Alfes, & Bailey 2016).
Unitarism:
The company has the common of providing medicines and selling medical products as
retailers. Due to the protest the company’s reputation is at stake. However the selling of the
medicines will not be hampered but the other retailer options will be hampered as the bad impact
on the market will reduce the customer demand and will degrade its position in the market. The
point of harmony and mutual cooperation has been violated by the company previously. It is the
main concern of workers for striking and revolting against the violation the employee
satisfaction. Sexual harassment has resulted into a very sensitive situation that has ruined the

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reputation the company and the delay for payment of the laborers is a very demotivating factor
for which the workers are completely unsatisfied and not at all pleased of their job or even their
workplace. The illegitimate troublemakers was not distinguished by the manager of the company
and no steps have been taken so far. Conflict should not exist within a company but if the upper
management is not fully functioning then it will result in the breaking of protests and unsatisfied
expression of the employees.
Radicalism:
The situation will be remarked as the situation where the culmination of the capitalist
society can be found. The theme of capitalism carries a deep seated sense of suppression and
oppression of the financially incapable by the established and financially stable class that is the
capitalists. This is always a very demotivating and unethical situation that generates in the
workplace and hierarchy is maintained. This situation has the case of sexual harassment,
distinction of the sexes and other unethical issues that has been disturbing the employees and
disrupting the atmosphere of the workplace. No steps has been taken by the managers and hence
it is generating the sense that the company is not interested in the welfare of its workers or
employees, and thus implying the deep seated shadow of the capitalism to be prevailing in the
company. The employment relationship is totally misbalanced and the workers are protesting
against the company as they feel exploited and used implying their slogan in their placards as-
“NO MODERN SLAVERY”. The state has not yet taken possible steps and due to the delaying
the time span of the strike has increased. The workers are hopeful that their problems will be
solved soon and that their problems will be listened and will be resolved.

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Case Study:
The report that is being represented contains a report of a group of workers or employees
who have been revolting due to the issues of sexual harassment and casual approach of the
company officials to the problems and the issues of the employees. The company faced a
gathered crowd outside its distribution of the warehouse in Preston at Melbourne (Helfen,
Schüßler & Sydow 2018). The retail pharmacy chain of the company will suffer a massive loss
as the workers working in that particular post help in shipping of over one million of the retail
items a week. There are over 800 staff who have protested and still joining (Williams 2017). The
wage of the workers have been a lot less compared to that of other companies hence the workers
are voicing their protest against this. Another topic that displeased the workers was the casual
approach and the motivational aspect; resulting in disparity in the company goals and the
achievements of the company was hampered as well. Almost 70% of the of the pharmacy retail
department staff is labor-hire casuals. The NUW union delegate commented that the job was
very unsecure and that the environment of the workplace was very unsafe to work at. The labor
—hire casuals receive texts messages from the company regarding their allocation of their shift
timings as late as 10 pm and it has become very problematic for the laborers as they have to
prepare very fast for the shift that they are allotted. And they don’t get any time for spending
time with their family or even make plans of their own. They were paid for $24.25 an hour for
their work; humiliating the laborers even more as they didn’t get proper wage or salary that any
other laborer is supposed to get (Greer & Doellgast 2017). The case study involves the theory of
pluralism as the conflict of the laborers and the company officials has come forward due to the
dis functioning of the company. The Unitarism is found to be broken as the harmony between the
employer and the employee seems to be disrupted and bad. Radicalism can be noticed but that

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too in very weak manner as the management of the company is very weak and even have failed
as the company will suffer a huge loss in the retail pharmacy department.

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References:
Bach, S., & Bordogna, L. (Eds.). (2016). Public service management and employment relations
in Europe: Emerging from the crisis. Routledge.
Conway, E., Fu, N., Monks, K., Alfes, K., & Bailey, C. (2016). Demands or resources? The
relationship between HR practices, employee engagement, and emotional exhaustion
within a hybrid model of employment relations. Human Resource Management, 55(5),
901-917.
Greer, I., & Doellgast, V. (2017). Marketization, inequality, and institutional change: Toward a
new framework for comparative employment relations. Journal of industrial relations,
59(2), 192-208.
Helfen, M., Schüßler, E., & Sydow, J. (2018). How can employment relations in global value
networks be managed towards social responsibility?. Human Relations, 71(12), 1640-
1665.
Williams, S. (2017). Introducing Employment Relations. Oxford University Press.