Employee (Labor Management) Relations

Synonyms

Critical labor studies; Employment relations; Human resource management; Industrial relations; Industrial sociology; Labor and employment relations; Labor problem; Labor relations

Introduction

Employee relations or labor management relations introduce three areas: definition of the term, the subset of public sector issues, and the country case of China.

Definition

Defining the subject has proved very tricky with official definitions, such as from the International Labour Organization (ILO) or governments, often creating as much confusion as clarification. Definitions have often become descriptions with several sentences, ambiguities, exceptions, and clarifications. The problem of definition stems from the political or ideological color which each attempt to define the subject is laden. Defining labor management relations in terms of whether an employment contract exists between two parties, for example, establishes whether a labor management relationship exists and clarifies...