Unitec Employment Law students experienced with collective bargaining – September 2010

Employment law students recently experienced a “true to life” simulation of collective bargaining. Teams of students from the NZDipBus 635 Employment Relations and BSNS6343 Employee Relations & Legislation class were assigned to represent either employer or union interests, and given a fact scenario setting out the background to the negotiations.  Having first devised their negotiation strategies, they met with their counterparts and exchanged and counter-exchanged demands until – sometimes after some fairly intense debate – agreement was reached.

Issues arose as they do in real life, and the students worked hard to break deadlocks and persuade others of the rightness of their arguments. Analysis in class this week showed the different results achieved, and demonstrated that bargaining strategy and negotiation skills definitely played a part in the outcomes.

Events during class now form part of the students’ assessment, as they write a reflection on the process and learning that followed.

The course Employee Relations and Legislation is part of the main programme Bachelor of Business(Management).