What is a collective dispute?
A collective dispute is a conflict that arises between employees and an employer as a result of unresolved problems or unfulfilled expectations. It can cover various issues, such as working conditions, wages, health and safety at work, as well as the rights and obligations of employees and employers. Labor disputes can lead to strikes, protests or other forms of collective action to draw attention to an issue and force change.
A collective dispute begins when existing tensions or conflicts between employees and the employer escalate to the point where normal negotiation or talk cannot resolve the issue. This can happen when workers feel that their rights are being violated, their working conditions are unfair or their wages are too low. A collective dispute can also start when an employer fails to meet its obligations to employees, for example by failing to provide safe working conditions.
A collective dispute can be initiated by employees or their representatives, such as trade unions. In some cases, it can also be initiated by the employer, for example, when the employer wants to make changes that employees consider unfavorable. It is important to remember that starting a class action dispute is a serious step that requires careful consideration and planning.
In summary, collective bargaining is a complex process that needs to be understood by both employees and employers. Knowing this can help you better manage employee relations and prevent conflicts in the workplace.
In the context of collective disputes, it is worth paying attention to the current events in the Social Insurance Institution. According to media reports, trade unionists will soon officially register the collective dispute with ZUS.
One aspect of this labor dispute is whether the conflict will affect the payment of benefits. In the context of this dispute, the ZUS spokesman, Paweł Żebrowski, explains that the employer cannot lead a collective dispute regarding the demand for pay rises, because it would lead to incurring an impossible obligation, and consequently invalid and violating public finance discipline.
Despite this, Żebrowski assures that ZUS is doing a lot to make employees earn more and more. Wage increases have been carried out on an unprecedented scale in the last four years. Only in the years 2015-2020 the fund for employees’ salaries increased by almost PLN 1 billion. Since 2016, the average basic salary has increased by PLN 2,000. PLN 835.
However, despite these actions, ZUS employees continue to demand increases, which leads to a collective dispute. This situation shows how important it is to understand and properly manage collective disputes to ensure employee satisfaction and maintain the financial stability of the organization.
Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.
