industrial relations
Industrial Relations: Ideological Perspectives
By
Femi Aborisade
Centre for Labour Studies
&
The Polytechnic, Ibadan aborisadefemi@gmail.com INTRODUCTION
This paper identifies the key theories in industrial relations and draws out their implications on the concern for achieving ‘basic needs for all’. The following theories are examined: the political theories of Unitarism and Pluralism; the economistic theory; the democratic and political theory; the moral and ethical theory, and the Marxist theory. A conclusion is drawn on the note of identifying the weakness and strength of labour struggles in the striving to improve the wellbeing of the working class.
THEORIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Political Theory of Unitarism
The essence of the unitary theory is that the larger social system or the work enterprise as a sub-system of the larger social system is a unitary organisation. The larger social system or the work enterprise is likened to a football team or a family which shares a common goal. Just like the head of the family supposedly knows what is best for all members of the family and acts at all times in the interest of the family as a whole, so also the government (in the case of the larger society) or the management (in the case of an enterprise) symbolizes the common good of all parties in the enterprise. On this basis, as members of a football team should unquestionably listen to the coach or as the troops must obey the command structure in the army without complaining, and as the children (and possibly the wife, in many cases) should not query the authority of their parents (and husband), so also the workers should be absolutely loyal to the government or management as the case may be.
From the unitarist perspective, all the ideas, perceptions and actions of management or government are legitimate and rational and all the ideas, perceptions and actions of the workers that conflict with the
By
Femi Aborisade
Centre for Labour Studies
&
The Polytechnic, Ibadan aborisadefemi@gmail.com INTRODUCTION
This paper identifies the key theories in industrial relations and draws out their implications on the concern for achieving ‘basic needs for all’. The following theories are examined: the political theories of Unitarism and Pluralism; the economistic theory; the democratic and political theory; the moral and ethical theory, and the Marxist theory. A conclusion is drawn on the note of identifying the weakness and strength of labour struggles in the striving to improve the wellbeing of the working class.
THEORIES IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Political Theory of Unitarism
The essence of the unitary theory is that the larger social system or the work enterprise as a sub-system of the larger social system is a unitary organisation. The larger social system or the work enterprise is likened to a football team or a family which shares a common goal. Just like the head of the family supposedly knows what is best for all members of the family and acts at all times in the interest of the family as a whole, so also the government (in the case of the larger society) or the management (in the case of an enterprise) symbolizes the common good of all parties in the enterprise. On this basis, as members of a football team should unquestionably listen to the coach or as the troops must obey the command structure in the army without complaining, and as the children (and possibly the wife, in many cases) should not query the authority of their parents (and husband), so also the workers should be absolutely loyal to the government or management as the case may be.
From the unitarist perspective, all the ideas, perceptions and actions of management or government are legitimate and rational and all the ideas, perceptions and actions of the workers that conflict with the
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