Module manager: Alan Roe
Email: busaroe@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
LUBS5334M Employment Relations
This module is not approved as an Elective
The module provides comprehensive coverage of employment relations with a primary focus on the UK, examined within its wider global and international comparative context. It will provide you with the theoretical resources to interrogate contemporary developments and challenges within the field.
The module is designed to provide a clear guide to recent developments in the field of employment relations (ER). It aims to bring an integrated approach to the subject, drawing on the disciplines of economics, politics and sociology. The course also seeks to explore the character of UK employment relations and its place within wider international and comparative contexts.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Analyse key contemporary developments and challenges in employment relations using appropriate theoretical frameworks.
2. Evaluate how employers, trade unions, the state and labour market institutions shape employment relations outcomes in the UK and in comparative international contexts.
3. Assess the changing nature of worker representation and the contemporary prospects for trade union membership.
4. Explain how wider national and international economic and institutional contexts influence developments and outcomes in employment relations.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Academic Skills
A1. Academic writing: Effectively communicate in written form to articulate an argument, supported by relevant evidence and adhering to academic conventions.
A2. Critical Thinking: Apply cognitive skills of critical thinking, analysis and synthesis
A3. Academic integrity: Employ good study practices and shared values, giving credit to others where their work contributes to yours.
Work Ready Skills
W1. Time management, planning & organising: Plan, organise and deliver work within time constraints
W2. Communication: Convey and receive information clearly, accurately, and appropriately, including verbal, non-verbal and written
W3. Active learning: Learn through practice, learning proactively and adopting effective learning strategies.
Indicative content:
- Differing theoretical perspectives on employment relations (values, ideology, frames of reference, conflict, and the context of employee relations)
- Key actors: the role of the state, trade unions, managers and employers in the regulation of employment relations
- Employee voice: The role and purpose of differing forms of employee voice (direct and indirect) in a changing global landscape
- Trade unions in contemporary employment relations (decline, activity and ’new actors’)
- Negotiation and collective bargaining
- Global perspectives on employment (national and international contexts)
-Future perspectives on industrial/employee relations
-Review session
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 130 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 20 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
Preparation for the workshop will involve reviewing the lecture slides prior to the session. Additionally, each student will be expected to spend time preparing for the seminar element of the workshop. Preparation for the assignment and examination are both expected to take around 140 hours study time
To support students in preparing for the coursework, a class discussion on previous years' exams will be conducted in a relevant teaching session. Also, a mock exam sample, replicating the difficulty and real exam conditions, will be organised.
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Unseen exam | 2.0 Hrs Mins | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 100 | |
The resit for this module will be 100% by 2 hour exam
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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