In the bargaining stage three meetings were held. At each of
them the arguments of both management and union teams were
the same as in the opening phase.
Each party aimed to discover how strongly the other believed
in their arguments and to what extent they were prepared to shift
position. Every phrase was analysed to discover just what was
behind it, both sides seeking hints as to how much support the
other was getting – from the shop floor and top management
respectively.
Management opened with a 5 per cent offer and got the usual
reaction: it was ‘derisory’, ‘insulting’, and so on. The union
refused to state exactly what it wanted, hoping to mystify and
wrong-foot the management.
Between the second and third meetings the management team
were agreed in the belief that the union was hoping to get 10 per
cent but, if pushed, might settle for 8. It was decided that an offer
to reduce the working week by 30 minutes might be made, but
only as a last-minute trade-off if a reasonable settlement seemed
unlikely.
At the third meeting, management increased its offer to 7 per
cent, saying that this was as far as it could go. When pressed to
state whether this was, or was not, their final offer, the manage-
ment team refused to elucidate. The union rightly interpreted
this to mean that there was more in the kitty and that top
management would release it if pressed hard enough. The union
demanded 10 per cent andthe other concessions.
Stage 4: Closing – Each party judges whether the other side is deter-
mined to stick to its position or will settle for a compromise. The final
moves are made. It is during this stage that final ‘trade-offs’ may lead to
a settlement.
The final meeting lasted all day and into the night. Management
stuck to its 7 per cent offer and made no other concessions. The
union tried several tactics. Pleading, controlled loss of temper
and threats of industrial action were all used. The management
team finally judged that the only way to get a settlement was to
attempt a trade-off. They offered 7 per cent plus one hour off the
working week, in return for an agreement to abolish the
customary five minutes’ ‘wash-up’ time (a practice that had been
consistently abused).
Management reiterated that this was the final offer and was as
much as the firm could afford and managed to convince the
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