End This Misery
The air traffic controllers dispute in France which has brought so much misery to the travelling public in recent days is exactly the kind of industrial problem that should be resolved by pendulum arbitration.
Because it gives trade unions a bad name when families who are looking for a well earned holiday have their plans spoiled or cancelled even because the employer and trade unions can't get their act together.
I don't think it's remotely fair for the French air traffic controllers to behave in this way because their action is hurting other people, including families who have saved up all year to enjoy a couple of weeks in the sun, but they are the ones who end up being hurt most by this kind of industrial action.
And the French air traffic controllers are a very well paid group of workers, by the way, and what's being argued over is far from clear in the various reports that I've read, so the best way to resolve things if you ask me, is to put the issues involved to compulsory arbitration.
A concept which is explained here in more detail in a previous post from the blog site archive.
Pendulum Arbitration (5 November 2013)
In the wake of the Grangemouth dispute which ended so disastrously for Unite and the credibility of the trade unions more generally - lots of people have been coming up with suggestions for improving industrial relations such as having workers on the boards of big companies - worker/directors if you like.
Now I've long been in favour of having workers represented on the board which is a feature of industrial relations in other countries, Germany for example, but like lots of good ideas it's not a miracle cure - because disputes like the one that erupted in Grangemouth are unlikely to be resolved at a board meeting.
A much more practical thing to consider would be the widespread use of 'pendulum arbitration' which involves an independent referee (arbitrator) making a decision that comes down in favour of one side or the other - i.e. in favour of either the employer or the trade union.
Employers and trade are often unwilling to use arbitration, especially if they think the stakes are too high, but after the near closure of the giant Grangemouth plant - maybe it is an idea whose time has finally come.
For the life of me, I cannot see any arbitrator siding with Unite over their claims of unfair treatment towards the local union convener, Stephen Deans - because all the employer was doing was investigating allegations that Deans was spending a good deal of his time on Labour Party business - which was clearly wrong.
Yet instead of Unite and Deans putting their hands up - the union called a strike and were willing too play fast and loose with thousands of jobs.
Now I've long been in favour of having workers represented on the board which is a feature of industrial relations in other countries, Germany for example, but like lots of good ideas it's not a miracle cure - because disputes like the one that erupted in Grangemouth are unlikely to be resolved at a board meeting.
A much more practical thing to consider would be the widespread use of 'pendulum arbitration' which involves an independent referee (arbitrator) making a decision that comes down in favour of one side or the other - i.e. in favour of either the employer or the trade union.
Employers and trade are often unwilling to use arbitration, especially if they think the stakes are too high, but after the near closure of the giant Grangemouth plant - maybe it is an idea whose time has finally come.
For the life of me, I cannot see any arbitrator siding with Unite over their claims of unfair treatment towards the local union convener, Stephen Deans - because all the employer was doing was investigating allegations that Deans was spending a good deal of his time on Labour Party business - which was clearly wrong.
Yet instead of Unite and Deans putting their hands up - the union called a strike and were willing too play fast and loose with thousands of jobs.
Fair Dinkum, Cobbers (31 October 2011)
And that seems to be an apt phrase top use in connection with the Qantas dispute - which seems to have ended - vitually overnight.
Qantas had grounded all of its flights in an increasingly biiter dispute with its trade unions - whom the company accused of making unreasonable demands.
But instead of dragging things out for months on end - the issues involved were put to an independent arbitration panel - which seems to have ruled in the company's favour and ordered everyone back to work.
Now I don't know much about the independent tribunal involved - but it does seem to have done the trick - by coming down largely in favour of one side or the other - instead of splitting hairs.
If that's what has happened it's called pendulum arbitration - which means just that - choosing between different and sometimes highly polarised arguments.
The advantage being that it encourages both sides in an industrial dispute to behave reasonably - not to exaggerate things.
Otherwise if the dispute is referred to arbitration - then the party that has been rowing its boat out too far is likely to lose.
In the UK we have ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - but this quango does not enjoy the best of reputations and lacks real teeth.
Everyone involved in a industrial dispute in the UK has to agree to ACAS becoming involved - and it has no history of moving quickly to bring in decisive judgments - as the long-running BA dispute being the perfect example.
So maybe our Aussie friends have come up with a good idea - Fair Work Australia is the name of the independent tribunal - which has brought the Qantas dispute to a swift end.
Fair dinkum, cobblers.
