Employment Relations in Singapore: Unitarist vs. Pluralist Approaches

This essay delves into the employment relations landscape of Singapore, focusing on the prevalent unitarist approach adopted by businesses. It contrasts this with the pluralist perspective, analyzing whether times are changing and if the unitarist model remains justified. The essay defines unitarism as an integrated organizational structure with a common purpose, emphasizing cooperation and employee loyalty, often viewing trade unions as irrelevant. It contrasts this with pluralism, which acknowledges diverse interests and potential conflicts. The essay highlights Singapore's focus on attracting foreign talent and the government's role in industrial relations. It discusses economic factors influencing conflict and explores strategies for successful employment relations under a unitarist approach, such as financial incentives and employee participation. The conclusion reinforces the dominance of the unitarist approach in Singapore, emphasizing its alignment of individual and organizational interests and its implications for trade unions and conflict management.

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Employment relations in Asia

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Topic: 1. Businesses in Singapore are often portrayed as adopting a “unitarist” rather than
a “pluralist” attitude to employment relations. Is this justified or are times changing?
Illustrate your arguments with contemporary examples.
Introduction
Unitarist approach is identified the every organization as an integrated where all employees are
working for common purpose. Common purpose is made with the cooperation of the all staff
members where management as well as other members of the staff have the same goal to attain
the target which emphasizes the mutual cooperation. Moreover, unitarist is considered as the
paternalistic approach where it focuses on the loyalty of the employees. Subsequently, trade
unions are considered as irrelevant since the loyalty between employees and organizations are
deemed equally restricted. It has been analyzed that within the corporate environment, there are
invisible connections between workforces, objectives of the organization and the employee
relations.
“Unitarist” rather than a “pluralist” attitude to employment relations in Singapore’s
Business
According to Singapore Workforce, (2015), millions and billions are being spent by many
organizations to improve and foster the infrastructure of the organization. There are number of
theories and frameworks which are applied by many organizations as per their requirement.
These theories are unitarist, pluralist and radicalism. Similarly, the essay will elaborate that why
businesses in Singapore are depicted unitarist in comparison of pluralist attitude to employment
relations (Thunnissen, Boselie & Fruytier, 2013). As per the HRM theory, the attitude of pluralist
in the setting of the organization shows the situation where various kinds of individuals

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symbolize different groups with different interest. It would not be possible that the entire group
have the same interest and power to attain the target. Pluralist theory indicates the allocation of
the power in several hands. portray On the contrary, the unitarist theory indicates that the
organization has the common goal for which it delegates the responsibility to the team and the
group to attain it which shows that each and every member are on the same pitch (Leat, 2009).
There is a different point of view regarding unitary approach. In the point of view of employee,
the unitary approach means that the practices of working should be flexible. The employees of
the organization get support from the high authority if they feel that they are facing some issues
within the organization (Leat, 2009). In the point of view of employer, the unitary approach
means that the policies of the organization should be maintained in proper manner so that the
employees get inspired and motivated. Under this approach, line managers of the organization
take their responsibilities to manage the team in an adequate manner. On the other hand pluralist
approach recognizes that conflicts is intrinsic in the organization and can be accommodated by
numerous arrangements of institutional. The implication of pluralist approach is that union
recognition must be motivated. There are so many organizations in Singapore that have adopted
the unitarist approach because the major strength of the approach is that it unambiguously wants
to incorporate with the interest of employee as well as employer, so that the commitment and
loyalty of the employee can be amplified.
Every coin has two aspects which show the strength and the weakness. The strength of unitarist
approach is emphasized the role of the managers in achieving the win-win situations not only for
organization but also for the employees. Managers are required to go beyond their managerial
styles for maintaining the employment relations. It has been evaluated that the influencing
leaders are able to control the demand for trade unions. In the circumstance of unitarist approach,

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the employee and the employer accomplish the task within their own interest for attaining the
common goal. Management of the organization is considered as the only authority which takes
independent decisions of their business without being hampered by workers, unions and
government. The economy of Singapore is fabricated of industrial relation system and
production system. Both systems are dependent of one another as the role of industrial relation
system is important in the contribution of the production system (Leggett, 2005).
It has been evaluated that the industrialization has been interlinked with the industrial conflict.
Business Jargons, (n.d.), mentioned that the kind of strikes of specific country is connected with
the industrial relations system of the country. Singapore is the country where the involvement of
the government is important to develop the economy of the Singapore. The government has put
lots of efforts to attract more and more foreign talent Singapore would not be able to punch
above its weight if it remains dependent on home population. It has been recognized that there
are major four phases where institutionalisation is concerned about the conflict. The first phase
against behaviour towards negotiation of trade unions and focus is on individuals. It can be
unplanned. Business restructuring comes under second phase in which the businesses reconstruct
themselves to being opposed of trade unions. Third phase is related to the effective mediating
stage whereas the viewpoints of trade unions are overruled diplomatically in the phase of fourth.
At the stage of last phase, tactics are developed by unions to advance into institutions. They also
involved in the conflict resolutions and labour contract.
It has been evaluated that the conflict can be determined by dividing the political power. The
trade union of Singapore has a unique relationship with the government. Unitarist approach helps
business to move ahead by taking one common goal while pluralist approach have concerned
about the people and it thinks that everyone has different responsibilities and skills (Aron, 2011).

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Different expectations of the employee may lead the business in to conflict zone. The unitary
industrial relations practioner might ‘make the effective idea for pluralist idea’ but it is vital to
maintain the segments of unitary and behave in proper manner. There are some economic factors
which show that the changing models of conflicts are because of variable range of wages of
different workers. As per Wood & Horwitz, (2015), there are major four factors labour
concentration, size of the organization, income and the dominance of women which considered
the differences in conflicts. There is numerous way of handling the successful employment
relations that has adopted the unitarist approach. Initially the management can focus on giving
the financial incentives so that the interest of employee can be integrated. Various kind of profit
sharing can be stressed by management that are made ensure that chance should be given to the
every employee of the organization to have a financial stake in the business (Williams & Adam-
Smith, 2010).
Behind the adoption of unitarist approach is that it assist employee to get participated in the
decision of the business and it include the various approaches of empowering and participatory
for managing the workplace so that the employees of the organization feel that they have huge
latitude to control their work processes and consequences. The worker contribution can be
amplified due to worker empowerment and participation (Greenwood & Van Buren, 2017). The
management of the organization under unitarist approach concentrates on the proper use of high
performance or progressing in domains of training, selection, rewards, job designs and
communications so that organization can increase the productivity of the employee and develop
the upper levels of employee commitment and satisfaction. Trade unions are considered as the
employees of legitimate representatives. Collective bargaining is the major reason of conflict.
There is a huge responsibility for conflict in comparison of harmony. Singapore’s business has

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adopted the unitarist approach because the aim of their business is to work together with
employees. The ratio of conflicts is lesser due to mutual understanding about the common goal
of the organization between employees. The contribution of employer in the working style of
employees is less (Bingham, 2016).

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Conclusion
In the limelight of above discussion, it can be concluded that the management can deal with
different kind of theories or frame when dealing with employee relations. The essay has focused
on major two perspectives such as unitarist and pluralist. Unitarist theory has depicted by
Singapore’s business and it assumes that there is one source that is leadership and the conflict of
the organization can be avoided by aligning individual and organizational interest. Trade unions
are being neglected by unitarist approach. On the other hand pluralist approach believes that
conflicts within the organization can be managed. The businesses of Singapore are preferred for
unitarist approach instead of pluralist approach because time is changing. Organization has
become more advanced and it makes ready its employee to attain the common goal and for this it
has initiated to provide the training to the employee so that they can attain the common goal.

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References
Aron, (2011). Difference Between Unitarism and Pluralism. Retrieved on 12th March, 2018,
from: https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-unitarism-and-vs-
pluralism/.
Bingham, C. (2016). Employment Relations: Fairness and Trust in the Workplace. Sage.
Business Jargons, (n.d.). Approaches to Industrial Relations. Retrieved on 12th March, 2018,
from: https://businessjargons.com/approaches-to-industrial-relations.html.
Greenwood, M., & Van Buren, H. J. (2017). Ideology in HRM scholarship: Interrogating the
ideological performativity of ‘New Unitarism’. Journal of Business Ethics, 142(4), 663-
678.
Leat, M. (2009). Exploring employee relations. London, UK, Routledge.
Leggett, C. (2005). The fourth transformation of Singapore’s industrial relations. Reworking,
347.
Singapore Workforce, (2015). Statistics and Publications. Retrieved on 12th March, 2018, from:
http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/2015/1130-singapore-workforce-2015.
Thunnissen, M., Boselie, P., & Fruytier, B. (2013). Talent management and the relevance of
context: Towards a pluralistic approach. Human Resource Management Review, 23(4),
326-336.
Williams, S., & Adam-Smith, D. (2010). Contemporary employment relations: A critical
introduction. Oxford University Press.

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Wood, G., & Horwitz, F. (2015). Theories and institutional approaches to HRM and employment
relations in selected emerging markets. Handbook of human resource management in
emerging markets, 19-41.