In this assessment, you will be critically analysing the role of the major union that was involved in the NSW train workers’ dispute in early 2018. Prepare areportthat addresses the following points....

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
(NEW SOUTH WALES TRAIN WORKERS’ DISPUTE IN 2018)
Table of Contents
Introduction    3
1. Critical Analysis of Role played by Tram, Rail and Bus Union in New South Wales (NSW) Train Workers’ Dispute in Early 2018    3
1.1 Their positive contributions    4
1.2 Areas of improvements for them    5
1.3 Role of Unions and Union Behaviours    5
1.4 Theoretical Justifications for the perspectives based on these literature    6
2. Implications of Union’s Involvement in the mentioned Dispute in rendering their Relevance in Modern Australia    7
2.1 Implications of union’s role in the dispute    7
2.2 These implications leading to their continued relevance in modern Australian society    9
2.3 Solutions for Resolving Disputes to Achieve Better Results    10
Conclusion    10
Reference List    12
Introduction
The mentioned issue highlights the conflict between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) in New South Wales (NSW) and the Transport Department of Sydney, in early 2018. The issue is a classic example of labour relations conflicts and outlines the role players by the involved worker’s union in raising the voice and concerns of the involved employees. The primary issue raised by the union was of a pay hike of 6% for its workers as opposed to the government’s order of 2.5%.
The union clearly states that the workers are delivering much more than they are paid for, and need to be accounted for on an immediate basis. In lieu of the government previously not agreeing to the proposed demands, the union decided to go on a 24 strike with a complete halt to all services, which were later called off. Eventually the dispute was resolved with the union agreeing to the renewed government offer of a 3% pay hike with some other benefits (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2018).
1. Critical Analysis of Role played by Tram, Rail and Bus Union in New South Wales (NSW) Train Workers’ Dispute in Early 2018
The primary agenda raised by the union in this case was pertaining to protest against the annual pay hike of 2.5%. They also raised concerns over a new timetable, claiming it to be implemented before preparing the workforce, resulting in inconvenience for the commuters, overcrowding of trains and long working hours for close to 9000 drivers helping in the daily commutation of around 1.3 million people. As supported by Nicholson, Pekarek and Gahan (2017), the NSW RTB union represents a collective representation, which aims to assist its member workers in terms of enforcement of regulations honouring the employment terms, improvement in working processes and working conditions at the workplace and representation of the workers in political circles for policy determination.
The bargaining procedure adopted by the RTBU leadership eventually converted a collective and proactive conflict type to a covert one, when the union threatened to call a 24-hour strike of the entire train fleet (The Guardian, 2018). Following the approach of traditional collective bargaining RTBU firstly appointed its NSW branch secretary and branch assistant secretary as their representational leadership for the negotiations. They followed an interest-based approach keeping in mind the real concerns of the workers and identified key improvement and discussion areas. Secondly, they approached the government with their demands to be considered, beginning several rounds of negotiations and word wars among the leadership.
At this stage, they presented the causable reasons of the ruckus and their point of view in improving the scenario. Thereafter, surveys were conducted to decide on the calling of an industrial action that is a 24-hour strike. Soon after this, the Implementation phase took over, with the government announcing a renewed offer of a 3% wage hike, a $1000 onetime payment to each employee and improved rostering mechanisms. The deal was accepted by the union as more than half of the workers voted in favour of it (RTBU Australia, 2018).
1.1 Their positive contributions
The RTB Union’s positive contributions towards the resolution of this conflict can be analyses from the following framework:
Description: As stated by Cooper and Mishel (2015), this phase of analysing the conflict deals with identifying the plausible symptoms arising from a potential lapse in the regulatory framework. The train workers of NSW were forced to work unplanned working hours, unplanned future rostering, uninformed overtime duties and deprived of other basic working conditions compromising the workers’ safety. In accordance with the above-mentioned issues, another protest area was the wage policy of a minimal 2.5% annual wage rise (RTBU Australia, 2018). The leadership aligning the concerns of the workers with goals of the union leveraged the opportunity to exert direct pressure on the concerned authority.
Explanation: As mentioned by O’Sullivan, Turner, Kennedy and Wallace (2015), this part includes diagnosing the underlying causes and strengthening the position of the community participation. RTB union made sure of getting its workers support on the acceptance or repentance of key offerings and decisions, by both themselves and the transport department. Workers were asked to vote firstly for the industry action of a strike against the government inaction and secondly for considering the finally accepted offer made by the government. In addition, the union showed fair display of “Unitarism” and called off its strike considering the inconvenience it would have caused to the passengers.
Prescription: Involves the solution offering part by the two parties. The union after carefully analysing the underlying causes proposed the collective solution to all the concerns of the workforce including improved rostering issues, job security and safety measures, retainment of the value of Opal card in lieu of privatisation of services along with a fair and disciplined operating time table. As mentioned by Chan and Hui (2014), all the propositions fall in direct line with a unions objectives of ensuring that every worker has access to high workplace standards, decent wages and conditions, treatment with respect and dignity.
1.2 Areas of improvements for them
The RTBU represented the workers’ concerns in a most efficient way; however, the methodology and approach adapted by them and the areas of improvement can be analysed by the following framework of the bargaining structure as also supported by Berton, Carreri, Devicienti and Ricci (2015):
Status: The legal degree of formality of thee terms and negotiations must have followed a more documented approach. For example, the votes were conducted in a vague manner via text messages, which forced the union to accept proposals, which were accepted only by a thin margin of workers.
Agents: Although the talks were carried out the NSW chief secretary, a more elaborate panel must have been formed comprising representations for various working class of the workers like train, locomotive drivers, station staff and baggage workers (McAlpine & Roberts, 2017).
Level: The cause should have gained support from other transport workers associations within the city like the Transport Workers Union of Sydney. Doing so, would have pressurised the government to recognise the inconvenience to the workers and forced them to offer a better bailout package than the final one.
Scope: The union failed to define the scope of their demands, which were a mix of substantiative claims of remuneration, working hours and leave entitlements along with procedural claims regarding rostering and withdrawal of Opal cards. The union should have demarcated their demands and rolled them out in a procedural way as per the priorities of the workers.
Coverage: The issue must be brought under the ambit of other such industry unions of other cities as well after discussing the common concerns of the workers.
1.3 Role of Unions and Union Behaviours
As mentioned by Kelly (2015), the role of unions in today’s changing business environment and its effectiveness in tackling various employee issues can be assessed using the following parameters
Union Effectiveness: is...