Reference no: EM133135944

EMPLOYEE AND LABOUR RELATIONS

ROLE PLAY - RULES

PROCESS

The goal of this role play is to deepen the understanding of employee and labour relations from a Human Resources perspective. 

Students do not share their scripts with others. 

• The discussion between the students should take no longer than five to seven minutes. Timed.
• Students should be identifying problems that need to be addressed and come out with a solution.
• After the roleplay, the professor may question the students.
• The students acting to be true to the role and react as if the scenario personally affects them; it is fine be a little resistant to the supervisor's message. 

QUESTIONS

Group 7: 

The Scenario:

Christine Lane worked as a nurse at Mercy Hospital Monday through Friday. Lane's son, who lived 800 kilometres away in a city of 75 000 people, was suffering from diabetes. On a Sunday morning, Lane received word that her son was very ill and had been taken to hospital by ambulance, apparently suffering from pancreatitis. Lane contacted her supervisor and advised him that she wished to take time off to be with her son. The supervisor advised Lane to go ahead and they would "work it out later." The collective agreement covering nurses at the hospital provided that employees were entitled to up to four days of special leave each calendar year without loss of pay. The special leave related to family leave or a pressing necessity. The contract provided that the family leave was "for use when the employee's attendance is necessary and they are unable, through other means, to change the time when they need to be in attendance, or to arrange in advance time off work when needed through other means such as shift trades, time off in lieu, or vacation." The pressing necessity referred to a situation where there was "a sudden or unusual circumstance that could not, by the exercise of reasonable judgment, have been perceived by the employee and requires the employee's immediate attention or makes the employee's attendance at work impossible."

Lane went to her son and remained with him for one week. Lane helped care for her son in hospital for two days and subsequently provided care for him in his residence after he was discharged. When Lane returned to work, she was advised that only the first day she was absent would be viewed as being eligible for special leave. Lane's supervisor told her that for the remaining days, she could have made other arrangements and accordingly they would be treated as vacation days.

Lane takes up the issue to the union and an arbitration process has begun. 

Enact the conversation between Lane and the union representative, the union representative and the labour relations manager. Also, the labour relations manager consults with the supervisor. However, the problem was not resolved, and it was taken to the arbitrator. Bring out the arbitration process and solve the issue.