Human Resource Management Report: Canadian Union Analysis and Impact

This report delves into the intricacies of Human Resource Management (HRM) in the context of Canadian unions. It explores the historical trends, economic shifts, and legislative changes that have impacted union membership, including the decline in unionization. The report examines the role of HRM policies and their influence on the workforce, especially in the context of A&W Canada and Quebec Walmart. Furthermore, it discusses the consequences of the decline in unionization, such as job insecurity, wage stagnation, and the rise of precarious employment. The analysis includes references to the shift in the labour market and how it has affected the relationship between workers and management. The report also examines the shift to new HRM policies and its impact on the union's influence.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Human resources in an organization refer to all those people who work within an
organization and all those who manage those working in the organization (Armstrong & Taylor,
2020). It is a strategic approach in managing men tactfully that will help the business in gaining
competitive advantage. When the top management exploits labour, there comes the role of
unions (Fernandez & Silver, 2018). In the past years, around 1982 -83, Canada recorded steady
growth in the labor unions. The Canadian union remained strong despite several unfavourable
and difficult social and economic problems. However, in recent years there has been a steady
decrease in union memberships. The union growth, including the membership of the Canadian
Union of Public Employees, has fallen in the manufacturing and mining sectors over the past few
years. There are a number of reasons for the decline in unionization, change of the economic
structure being one of them. The revised labour legislation restricts unionization and collective
bargaining (Zhang, 2019). The downfall of the Canadian economy led to an impact deleteriously
on the blue-collar workforce as well as other industries, which made the union make
concessional bargaining thereafter weakening its power. The recessional phase led to a huge
corporate restructuring in many companies that led to the downfall of the unions.
The new HRM policy became dangerous to the unions. The absolute impact was that
bargaining was not allowed anymore. The conflict resolution mechanism got substituted, and
there were issues with grievances redressal. A&W Canada, however, has maintained a non-union
workforce. The company creates a secret watch list in order to prevent the workforce from
unionization. Another practical example is Quebec Walmart. Employees in the company had a
different salary for the same position and were not allowed to discuss working conditions. There
has been increasing job insecurity. Wages and fringe benefits also started to suffer. The
employees have to be dependent on low pays and job insecurities. The New HRM divides the

2HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
workers into the core, and peripheral workforces, and most of them are hired at a low pay scale
and on a temporary basis (Verma, 2017). It has led to the expansion of collaboration between
managers and workers in order to circumvent the communication channels of the union.

3HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
References
Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2020). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Fernandez, L., & Silver, J. (2018). Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Indigenous Peoples and
Unions in Canada. International Union Rights, 25(4), 20-21.
Verma, A. (2017). What do unions do to the workplace? Union effects on management and
HRM policies. In What Do Unions Do? (pp. 275-311). Routledge.
Zhang, T. (2019). Effects of Occupational Licensing and Unions on Labour Market Earnings in
Canada. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 57(4), 791-817.