TRADE UNIONS AND

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS

What is a Trade Union?

Trade unions help workers voices to be heard.

Like a big brother looking out for you in the playground!

What is a Trade Union?

• Promote and protect interests of members for a annual fee.

• Prominent since industrial revolution when agriculture → manufacturing industry.

• Factory workers poorly paid and poor conditions.

• Workers stated first unions to challenge owners.

Exercise 1: Why I'm part of the Union!

Read the extracts on page 2 and then answer the questions on page 3

The functions of trade unions• defending employee rights and jobs• securing improvements in their working

conditions• improving pay and other benefits• improving sick pay, pensions and industrial

injury benefits• encouraging worker participation in business

decision-making• developing and protecting the skills of union

members

History of Trade Unions

VIDEO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEXi0gkVixk

Types of Trade Unions

General unions - represent workers from different occupations & industries. Industrial unions - represent workers in the same industry, e.g. National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Craft unions - represent workers with same skills across several industries eg. Carpenters and Joiners of America.

Non-manual unions and professional associations - represent workers in non-industrial and professional occupations, eg. Journalists, teachers, lawyers.

Union Membership

Decline in membership due decline in manufacturing industry and the growth of the service sector

Due to increased education of workers and better work conditions.

Industrial Disputes

Industrial dispute: dispute between employers and employees. Collective bargaining: the process of negotiating over pay and working conditions between trade unions and employers.

Relationship Between Trade Union and Firms

Open shop: firm can employ unionized and non-unionized labour.

Closed shop: all workers have to be union members.

Single union agreement: one union can represent all the workers - negotiating with a single union much easier for a firm.

Industrial actionOfficial action: has the backing of the union,

Unofficial action: does not have the support of their union.

Methods of industrial action include…

• Overtime ban - workers refuse to work more than their normal hours.

• Work-to-rule - workers comply with every rule and regulation at work in order to slow down production.

• Go-slow - working deliberately slowly.• Sit-in - workers refuse to leave their place of

work.• Strike - workers refuse to work.

Arbitration may be necessary to settle some disputes if collective bargaining fails

Employers and unions allow independent ‘referee’ help them reach an agreement.