INTEGRITY IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS : A TRANSACTIONAL EXPLORATION

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Industrial Relations, as commonly accepted, deals with the relationships between employers, employees and other institutions. The subject includes the systems/procedures used by different stakeholders, with the most influential being the government, collectives of employers, and workers’ collective representatives, to govern these relationships.

Historically, Industrial Relations was influenced by three main factors: 1) institutional factors, 2) economic factors, and 3) technological factors. State policy, laws, collective agreements, social institutions, and political parties usually
represent the core of institutional factors. The nature of economic organization being followed in a country (capitalist, mixed, socialist, or communist) and the demand and supply of labour represent the economic factors while manufacturing technology, and now information and communication technology, signify the influence of technology on industrial relations

The nature of relationships between the different stakeholders can be understood using various theoretical lenses/frameworks, ranging from Dunlop’s Systems theory (1958) to the most recent labour flow model (e.g., Blanchard & Diamond, 1992; Davis et al., 2006), including the presence of negotiated harmony, extensive presence of legalistic conflicts or a preponderance of lawlessness. In this note, I explore the role of integrity in industrial relations.