In Collective Bargaining, an ‘impasse’ refers to :
A situation that occurs when the parties are not able to move further towards settlement, usually because one party is demanding more than the other will offer.
An impasse is deadlock in negotiation — option 3.
The meaning. Bargaining reaches an impasse when neither side will move further: one party demands more than the other is willing to concede, and the ordinary process of offer and counter-offer has stopped producing movement. It is a state of the negotiation, not an action taken by either party — which is exactly what separates it from the three distractors, each of which names a specific weapon of industrial conflict.
| Term | What it is | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Impasse | Deadlock in the talks themselves | Neither — it is a condition, not a tactic |
| Boycott | A combined refusal to buy the employer’s product — option 1 | Union |
| Lockout | The employer closes the workplace and refuses to provide work — option 2 | Employer |
| Picketing | Standing outside the premises with placards to publicise the dispute — option 4 | Union |
How an impasse is broken. Three third-party methods, in ascending order of how much authority the outsider has :
| Method | What the third party does | Binding ? |
|---|---|---|
| Conciliation | Brings the parties together and keeps them talking; may suggest terms | No |
| Mediation | Actively proposes a settlement and works on each side to accept it | No |
| Arbitration | Hears both sides and gives an award; voluntary if both agree to refer, compulsory if the government refers | Yes |
The Indian machinery. Under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 — now subsumed in the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 — conciliation officers, boards of conciliation, labour courts, industrial tribunals and the national tribunal form a graded structure for exactly this purpose, and there are restrictions on striking or locking out while conciliation is pending.
What collective bargaining is. The International Labour Organisation defines it as negotiation between an employer and a group of workers, usually through a recognised union, to fix the terms and conditions of employment. It may be conjunctive (distributive), where one side’s gain is the other’s loss, or cooperative (integrative), where both look for a solution enlarging the joint gain.
Hence, the answer is a situation that occurs when the parties are not able to move further towards settlement.
Similar Questions
Which of the following perceive pluralistic approach to Industrial Relation :
A. Work place conflict is seen as a temporary aberration, resulting from poor management, from employees who don’t mix with organisation’s culture.
B. Trade Unions as legitimate representatives of employees interest.
C. Stability in industrial relations as the product of concession and compromises between management and union.
D. Organisations as coalitions of competing interest, where the management role is to mediate amongst the different interest groups.
E. Conflict arises not just because of competing interests within the organisation but because of division within the society between those who own resources and those who have only labour to offer.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
What is the belief among pluralists regarding conflict in organisation?
Which of the following are settlement machineries of industrial disputes under Industrial Disputes Act, 1947?
A. Works Committee
B. Collective Bargaining
C. Conciliation
D. Adjudication
E. Voluntary Arbitration
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Match the List-I with List-II
LIST I
Forms of StrikesLIST II
Appropriate MeaningA. Economic strike I. A strike aimed at protesting illegal conduct by the employer. B. Unfair labour practice strike II. A strike that results from a failure to agree on the terms of a contract that involves wages, benefits and other conditions of employment. C. Wild cat strike III. A strike that takes place when one union strikes in support of the strike of another. D. Sympathy strike IV. An unauthorized strike occurring during the term of a contract. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Which one of the following is a facility to file anonymous complaints ?
Which of the following are tripartite bodies ?
(a) Indian Labour Conference
(b) Standing Labour Committee
(c) State Level Advisory Boards
Code :
The Right to strike is a __________.
Which one of the following represents a system where by an employer regularly deducts a portion of employee's wage to pay subscription fee of trade union ?
Consider the following elements :
(a) Actors
(b) Inputs
(c) Context
(d) Output
(e) Ideology
Which of these are not the elements of John T. Dunlop's Framework of Industrial Relations System ?
With respect to collective bargaining match the items in List - I with those in List - II, using the codes at the end of the items.
List - I List - II (a) Win - Lose (i) Winning is everything (b) Lose - Win (ii) Nothing for nothing (c) Lose - Lose (iii) Everything for everything (d) Win - Win (iv) Relationship is paramount Code :
Important Questions from Collective bargaining and workers’ participation in management
Through which one of the following influences of workers’ participation in management regarding ‘safety and welfare and work-related’ issues are resolved?
Assertion A: Workers participation in management is involvement of workers only in such areas of activities of the enterprises where they can make some positive contribution.
Reasoning R: Workers may not be competent enough to understand and appreciate the managerial aspects of the enterprise.
- Which one of the following is not a function of plant council ?
- Which one of the following industrial relations approach believes in state intervention via legislation and the creation of industrial tribunals as supporting management's interest rather than ensuring a balance between the competing groups ?
- What is the term coined for the system of communication and consultation, either formal or informal, by which workers of an organization are kept informed, as and when required, about the affairs of the undertaking and through which they express their opinion and contribute to decision-making process of management ?
