Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
In Belgium, social dialogue - relations between the employer's representatives and workers' representatives - is part of the daily life of many organizations, both from the public and private sector. Organized at multiple levels (European, interprofessional, sectoral, firm), social dialogue includes a large variety of practices, of which collective bargaining is the most significant. This is why this course aims to sensitize students to the practice of social dialogue with firms. After an introduction to the formal mechanisms, tools and procedures of social concertation (collective regulations, etc.) and the key actors of social dialogue (employer's representatives, workers' representatives, and their formal and informal strategies and practices), the course will build on interventions from external professionals (trade unionists, human resource professionals, social mediators, etc.)
Moreover, part of the course will be dedicated to negotiation in the context of the firm, a significant part of the human resource management field. Required skills and techniques to prepare and experience a process of collective bargaining will be developed through sessions with external guests. The course will tackle the preparation of a negotiation project and of a revendication list; it will also emphasize the informal mechanisms of social dialogue (e.g. power games, political aspects of negotiation, etc.)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
- Discover social dialogue through concrete cases and interventions from experts;
- Explore contemporary challenges and issues related to social dialogue and its multiple objects (work organization, HRM policies, staff administration, large-scale projects, digitalization, etc.)
- Acquire skills and techniques for collective bargaining
- Practice social dialogue through roleplaying
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic knowledge of the firm theory, HRM practices, and the strategic analysis of organizations, as seen in bachelor courses.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The first sessions will aim to explore formal and informal mechanisms of social dialogue in organizations. Students will be invited to study, by small groups, a concrete case of social dialogue in a firm, through interviews with the employer's and workers' representatives. Following sessions will be dedicated through collective negotiation theory and practice. Several sessions will also be organized around external guests, such as HR professionals and trade unionists.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The course is organized around classroom sessions. Participation to the sessions is mandatory.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Slides used during the course will be shared with students at the end of each session.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Further information:
The assessment is divided into three parts.
The first part (one third of the final grade) consists of a written assignment aimed at analyzing a concrete case of social dialogue. Based on a given theme, and within a specific organization, students, working in small groups, will meet key actors in social dialogue (employer representatives and worker representatives) in order to clarify the existing modes of social consultation, the controversies and positions of the actors regarding the theme of interest, and the dynamics of collective bargaining at work in the organization studied.
The second part (one third of the final grade) consists of an individual analysis report on short case studies dealing with contemporary issues of social consultation. This report aims to mobilize analytical frameworks to decipher employer and union logics as well as negotiation dynamics.
The third part (one third of the final grade) is based on a role-play exercise inspired by the real cases studied in the first part. During these simulations, students are invited to act as employer/worker representatives and to engage in a collective bargaining process. The evaluation will focus mainly on the students' ability to build an argument, to implement applied negotiation techniques, and to conduct the negotiation process in an ethical and responsible manner.
In the second session, the student's grade will be entirely determined by a detailed comparative assignment on several case studies relating to social dialogue.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
A detailed agenda of the course's structure will be presented at the first session.
Contacts
Grégory Jemine (gjemine@uliege.be)