Labour Relations | Business Communication | Vocabulary

October 14, 2022

Important Vocabulary

Collective bargaining: Negotiations between unions and employees about their member’s wages and working conditions
A strike: A stoppage of work, as a protest against working conditions, low pay, and so on
A go-slow or slowdown: A deliberate reduction in the rate of production, as a protest
Working-to-rule: Deliberately obeying every regulation in an organization, which severely disrupts normal operations
Industrial action: A general term for strikes, go-slows, work-to-rules, and so on
To picket: To protest outside a factory or other workplace, and try to persuade workers and delivery drivers not to enter
Manual workers: People who work with their hands
Trade union: A union for workers with a particular type of job
Consult: To ask someone’s opinion before making a decision
Adversary: An opponent or enemy
Uneconomic: Too expensive, wasteful, loss-making
Tyranny: Unlimited and unfairly used power
Deregulation: Ending or relaxing restrictive laws
The public sector: Areas of the economy run by the local or national government
Confrontational: Hostile, almost aggressive, seeking conflicts
Conglomerate: A large corporation, made up of a group of companies

Unions are a necessary voice for the interests of workers.
In countries like South Korea, or Poland, or South Africa, trade unions have played an enormous dynamic political and economic role.
As long as employees have needs that need to be represented they’ll need trade unions.
Team-working employers, that want effective social peace and want also a sensible and dynamic economy, should be encouraging trade unions.
In some of the most successful economies, a strong trade union presence is recognized by employers and accepted as a partner by the government.

Extracted From

MacKenzie, I. (2002). English for Business Studies: A course for Business Studies and Economics students (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.