REASONS FOR

INDUSTRIAL CONFLICTS
Conflicts Caused by Compensation
Among the many types of conflicts that arise in industrial relations,
conflicts related specifically to compensation are the most
prominent. Friction develops between unions and management if
employees are not satisfied with their compensation (wages, salary
and/or benefits).
Conflicts Caused by Policy
Conflicts between management and employees may develop over
the details of a company policy. If employees believe that a certain
stipulation within their company's policy is unfair, illegal or immoral,
they may attempt to resolve the issue by negotiating with the
industry's management to amend the policy.
Conflicts over Personal or Sick Days Policy
Employees and management often find themselves at odds
over vacation and sick day policies. Employees may protest the
lack of paid vacation days, sick days or holidays. This is one of
the most common policy conflicts in industrial relations.
Conflicts Caused by Layoffs
Employee unions and organizations may quickly instigate a
confrontation with management if they hear of possible (or
actual) layoffs in an industry. Conflict arises when unions
protest management's claim that they need to layoff
employees to save money (rather than cutting expenses
elsewhere in a company's budget, e.g., disproportionate salary
and benefits packages for top-level management).
 Conflict Caused by Proximity
Conflicts in an industry can spread quickly. If the
employees of a single company in an industry are
protesting or striking, employees in companies
within the same industry may do the same as a
show of support. This type of conflict can shut down
an entire industry and often requires complex
negotiations to resolve.

Lack of Information
A cause for conflict in organizations is lack of information. Conflict911.com states that even
with company email, newsletters and reports still do not always reach their destination. This
lack of information comes from a variety of culprits, such as not knowing how to use email
properly or not knowing how to read a report correctly. Employees should be knowledgeable
about how to understand and utilize the information they receive. Staff and company
meetings are an ideal way to educate a group of employees at one time. Teach methods for
organizing emails, reading company reports and checking personal mailboxes frequently.
Learning these skills will help avoid conflict from lack of information in the organization.
Ineffective Organization
Tammy Lenski, Ed.D describes conflict caused by ineffective
organization systems in her article titled, "Conflict at Work: The Root
Causes of Workplace Conflict Are Often Systemic." Dr. Lenski does not
place the blame on individuals, but on the organizational system. She
states that these organizational problems may be invisible, until the
conflict arises. Organizational culture describes the way employees and
leaders communicate. Dr. Lenski states that intervention systems
between employees and leaders can help conflicts unfold in a healthy
way. If employees and leaders are not communicating effectively,
conflict will arise and have a ripple effect throughout the system.
Limited Resources
Mediate.com features an article by Lawrence Kahn called,
"Fundamentals of Conflict for Business Organizations." In this
article, Khan states that a major basis for conflict in organizations
is limited resources. Competition in the organization arises over
people's fight for resources, such as land and money. Intangible
assets such as power, appreciation and stature may also cause
conflict. Because many marketplaces deal with scarce funds,
different departments within the same organization find
themselves competing for the same money. Khan states that
conflicts of this type can be resolved if management understands
that the problem lies in the structure of the company, and not in
the personalities of employees.
Poor Communication
According to Oklahoma University, conflict often arises
because of poor communication between the parties involved.
Often, people will agree to something but misunderstand what
they have agreed to. As a result, the parties involved become
unhappy with each other, each believing the others have failed
to live up to their responsibilities.
Personality Clashes
Sometimes people do not get a long with each other simply
because of differences in personality. Someone who is
outgoing and assertive might be perceived as overly aggressive
by a more timid person. A quiet person might be thought of as
meek and ineffective by a more outspoken person. These
simple differences in personality can lead to conflicts when
people are trying to work together
Scarce Resources
Oklahoma University also identifies scarce resources as a source
of conflict in an organization. Organizations have limited resources
(capital, employees, equipment, etc.). As a result, people are
often competing for the same resources. Managers of different
departments will be attempting to get resources allocated to their
individual projects. If a manager does not get the resources he is
seeking, he may be bitter toward other managers.