Industrial relations means the relations between employees and management in an organisation. Look at these questions, and choose the correct answer for each one.
1. What is the name of an employees’ organisation which represents its members in discussions with employers about wages and conditions of employment?
(a) a job union
(b) an occupation union
(c) a vocation union
(d) a work union
(e) a trade union
2. What do we call a company which you can only join if you are a member of a particular trade union?
(a) a limited shop
(b) a full shop
(c) a closed shop
(d) a barred shop
(e) a sweat shop
3. Unions sometimes put pressure on management to keep their members in their jobs or employ more workers, even if the organisation doesn’t need them any more. What is the name of this practice?
(a) feather weighting
(b) feather fanning
(c) feather braining
(d) feather bedding
(e) feather dusting
4. What is the name of an elected union official who represents employees in day-to-day negotiations with the management?
(a) a shop steward
(b) a store steward
(c) a factory steward
(d) a workers’ steward
(e) a department steward
5. Complete this sentence: Ordinary members of a union or organisation are known as ________ members.
(a) safe and sound
(b) rank and file
(c) cloak and dagger
(d) collar and tie
(e) moan and groan
6. A union may stop workers from doing certain jobs, especially if they are not a member of that union. This is known as:
(a) restrictive practices
(b) recumbent practices
(c) reductive practices
(c) reactionary practices
(d) reality practices
7. Negotiations between employers and workers’ representatives over wage increases and conditions is called:
(a) collective bargaining
(b) correctional bargaining
(c) connected bargaining
(d) corruptive bargaining
(e) collapsing bargaining
8. If workers are unhappy with the way management is treating them, they may work strictly according to the rules of the company as a protest (with the result that production is slowed down). What do we call this method of protest?
(a) rule with a rod of iron
(b) work-to-rule
(c) ruling the roost
(d) ruling in favour
(e) work-by-rules
9. Workers sometimes try to achieve their demands by not going to work and claiming that they are ill. What is the name of this form of protest?
(a) a sickie
(b) a sick note
(c) a sickout
(d) sick leave
(e) a sickbag
10. When workers are unhappy with the management, they sometimes stop working and leave the company building as a protest. What is this action called?
(a) a run-out
(b) a skip-out
(c) a hop-out
(d) a jump-out
(e) a walk-out
11. In order to make their workers agree to their conditions, the management of a company may prevent the workers from entering the building. What is this called?
(a) a kickout
(b) a pushout
(c) a blockout
(d) a lockout
(e) a knockout
12. When there is a dispute between workers and management, a person who is not concerned with the dispute might be chosen by both sides to try to settle the dispute. What is this person called?
(a) an arboretum
(b) an archbishop
(c) an arbitrator
(d) an archer
(e) an arraignment
The next questions use the word strike (the stopping of work by workers, usually because of lack of agreement with management, or because of orders from a union).
13. Four of these expressions are correct, and one of them is wrong. Which one is wrong?
(a) to strike
(b) to go on strike
(c) to be on strike
(d) to get on strike
(e) to take strike action
14. What do we call a strike organised suddenly by the workers without the approval of the main union office?
(a) a wilddog strike
(b) a wildpig strike
(c) a wildfire strike
(d) a wildflower strike
(e) a wildcat strike
15. Workers usually vote before a strike, to decide if a strike should be held. What is this called?
(a) a strike vote
(b) a strike ballot
(c) a strike election
(d) a strike canvass
(e) a strike poll
16. What is the name for a worker who is on strike and standing at the entrance of a place of work to try to persuade other employees not to work?
(a) a wicket
(b) a cricket
(c) a ticket
(d) a picket
(e) a ricket
17. What do we call an employee who continues working when a company is on strike?
(a) a blackberry
(b) a blackhead
(c) a blackbird
(d) a blackleg
(e) a blacksmith
18. What do we call a strike when all the workers in a country go on strike?
(a) a complete strike
(b) a formal strike
(c) a general strike
(d) a country strike
(e) a home strike
Correct Answers:
- e (verb = to unionise)
- c
- d
- a
- b
- a
- a (free collective bargaining = negotiations between management and trade unions about wage increases, etc)
- b (compare this with a go-slow, where workers slow down production as a protest against the management)
- c
- e (workers will down tools and stage a walkout. This can also be a verb: to walk out )
- d
- c (when an arbitrator is appointed by the government, s/he is called an official mediator)
- d (strike can also be a verb: to strike. A worker who strikes is called a striker)
- e (when a strike is approved by a trade union, it is called an official dispute)
- b
- d (a flying picket is a picket who travels around the country to try to stop workers going to work)
- d (also called a strikebreaker. Scab can also be used, although this is an offensive word)
- c
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