Task 1. Read the text and make notes about the situation.
Your company is negotiating an alliance with a company which insists that employees only work 35 hours per week. If your company goes ahead with the alliance, the employees will not have to take a salary cut but they will not be allowed to work overtime. Ordinary workers, who often work overtime to earn extra money, will therefore lose some of their earning potential. Executives in the company who are not paid overtime will be less concerned about that, but the 35-hour week will have other consequences for them. If they don’t have enough time to complete their projects, they will have to share power and control with new employees who will need to be brought in to meet work demands.
Task 2. In groups, you will be given a role to play. Read the agenda and your role carefully. Then prepare how you will express your opinions and suggestions at the meeting. Be prepared to agree and disagree with the other participants.
1. The chairperson will bring everybody up to date on the negotiations concerning the alliance. If it goes ahead we will be obliged to adopt their policy of working a 35 hour week. (2 mins.)
2. Each person will be invited to put forward his/her views on this situation. (2 mins. per person)
3. A general discussion period will follow, where each member will put forward suggestions and recommendations to help reach a satisfactory compromise. Action points will be decided upon. (5 mins.)
4. The chairperson will appoint people to be responsible for the various action points. (2 mins.)
Task 3. In groups, conduct the meeting. Every member should take notes in order to write a full report on the meeting later. Feel free to add other opinions and recommendations.
Task 4. Using the notes you took at the meeting, write the minutes.
Remember the minutes of a meeting should include:
• a summary of the chairperson’s introduction
• a summary of the opinions and suggestions made by the participants
• the action points that were decided upon
• the people involved in carrying out the action points