ABSTRACT
Conflict and the mechanisms for conflict resolution are important aspects of labor–management relations. They reveal many of the basic assumptions behind the employer–employee relationship and the attitude society took towards work and towards conflict resolution in general. The paternalistic relationship of employers toward their employees as members of their households and businesses, was a situation full of potential conflict. Employers were in a position to exploit their employees with long working hours, poor working conditions and harsh treatment. Skilled workers were valuable assets, in themselves, that employers lost when an employee ran away. Employees who leaked business skills or secrets to competitors were apparently a common concern of businesses using skilled employees.
