Unions at Work

8/18/2019 Unions at Work

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Trade unions

at work

what they are and what they do

Including a guide to the Trades Union Congress

If you do not belong to a union and want to know whichone to join, phone the TUC ‘Join a Union’ line on:

0870 600 4882

Calls are charged at the national rate.

For more information about the TUC’s different activitiestry one of our websites:

www.tuc.org.uk (main site)

www.worksmart.org.uk (help and advice for everyone at work)

www.unionlearn.org.uk (for learners and learning reps)

www.unionhistory.info (TUC archives online)

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F r on t c ov er ph o t o: J oh nH ar r i s / r e p or t d i gi t al . c o. uk

Printed on aFSC Certified Product

Publications and further information

The TUC publishes a wide range of reports, leaflets,books and DVDs. We also produce a downloadableeducational resource pack for schools and youthorganisations, A Better Way to Work, to help youngpeople prepare for the world of work.

We have an extensive website at www.tuc.org.uk.This contains press statements, campaign news, policybriefings, statistical information and publications for sale.Register online for free email news updates matchingyour areas of interest.

Contact details:

Trades Union Congress

Congress HouseGreat Russell StreetLondon WC1B 3LS

Tel: 020 7636 4030Fax: 020 7636 0632www.tuc.org.uk


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Work dominates modern life.

In Britain today there are more than 29 million peoplein paid employment.

Most people spend up to a quarter of their lives at work– longer, on average, than anywhere else in Europe.

Work can be satisfying, enjoyable and rewarding,and most employers treat their workers fairly.But some do not.

When the TUC ran a bad bosses hotline over 5,000people in one week called to complain about theway they were treated by their employer.

And even the best bosses can make mistakes fromtime to time.

That is where unions come in.

Unions exist to help people at work.

Unions want to make the workplace a better place.

This pamphlet explains how unions work in modernBritain: the job they do for their members; the waythey help boost business; and how they help makeBritain a better place to live and work.

Contents

03 Introduction: The world of work

04 Section 1: Unions today

12 Section 2: The TUC

22 Glossary

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Introductionthe world of work


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More than six million people belong to TUC

unions: that is almost one worker in every five.Wherever people work there are union members– or potential union members.

Trade unionists do all sorts of jobs: they include factoryworkers and computer programmers; office staff andshop assistants; bus drivers and airline pilots; teachersand soap stars; musicians and motor mechanics;footballers and chiropodists.

Union members include men and women; full-time andpart-time workers; people in big businesses, and thosein small ones; people who work for the Governmentand those who work for themselves.

Union members are no different to anyone else,except they tend to be better paid and have betterworking conditions because they have someone tostand up for them.

CASE STUDY

Pensions for part-timers

After a legal ruling that

part-time workers had

the right to be members

of occupational pension

schemes, many unions

joined the TUC in applying

to the courts to ensure

that the new rights were

backdated. After a five-

year battle in the courts,

involving 22 test cases and

culminating in a ruling

by the European Court

of Justice, thousands ofpart-timers won the right

to claim benefits they had

been denied for years.

Section 1trade unions today

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Ten things unions do for their members

Give advice when members have a problem at work.

Represent members in discussions with employers.

Help improve wages and working conditionsby negotiating with employers.

Make sure that members’ legal rights are

enforced at work, in employment tribunalsand even in the courts.

Support the thousands of union members who actas volunteer union representatives in workplaces.

Provide education and training courses for workplacerepresentatives – including health and safety repsand learning reps.

Broker learning opportunities for members.

Fight discrimination and help promote equalopportunities at work.

Provide services for individual members such aswelfare benefits, personal legal help, financial

services, discounts on insurance and holidays. Lobby the Government and others in support

of policies and laws that help people at work.

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Why unions?

Unions work on the simple principle that while anemployer might be able to ignore the v iews of a singleworker, if all workers speak with one voice the employerhas to take notice. Unions encourage their members totake part in collective decisions on workplace issues andthese views are then put to the employer.

Unions internationally

• There have been unions in Britain for well overa hundred years.

• Today there are unions in virtually every countryin the world.

• The International Trade Union Confederation, whichrepresents unions around the world, currently has168 million members in 155 countries.

• In countries as far apart as Zimbabwe and Bangladeshunions are at the forefront of campaigns for majorsocial change.

CASE STUDY

No more needles

In North Lanarkshire safety

representative Jim Cowan

found that caretakers in tower

blocks were finding discarded

needles and were expectedto deal with them despite

having no training or special

equipment. After the union

intervened specialist disposal

was arranged by the council.

Five facts about unions

The vast majority of the top 50 companieshave formal bargaining agreements with unions.This is called ‘recognition’.

Unions win more than £320m a year incompensation for members who suffer injuries,or who are discriminated against at work.Accident rates are higher for non-union members,who are twice as likely to be seriously injuredas those who work in places where there areunion safety representatives.

The average union member earns more thanthe average non-member. For example, in privatecompanies the union ‘mark-up’ gives membersan extra 7p in the £.

The average union member gets seven days morepaid holiday (30 days of annual leave, excludingbank holidays) than the average non-member(23 days).

Almost every improvement in workplace conditions– for example, equal pay laws, stronger health

and safety legislation, statutory redundancy pay,the National Minimum Wage and better rights foragency workers – came about following pressurefrom trade unions.

CASE STUDY

Sick building syndrome

In Tower Hamlets, safety

representative Adrian

Grieves noticed high levels

of sickness absence in two

new buildings. He raisedthis with management and

asked the Health and Safety

Executive to investigate. This

led to an improvement notice

being served and a major

refurbishment, including a

new ventilation system that

has dramatically decreased

levels of sickness.

06 + 07 P h o t o : S i m o n W e l l e r

P h o t o : J o h n B i r d s a l l / P r e s s A s s o c i a t i o n I m a g e s

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In bigger workplaces there will be a number ofrepresentatives, sometimes from different unions, speakingon behalf of different groups of workers. And in very bigworkplaces some of these union representatives will spendmuch of their working day dealing with union business,talking to management and solving problems on behalfof their members.

Most sensible employers welcome these arrangements.They understand it is better for workers to have an

independent means of dealing with problems rather thanletting them fester, or hoping they will be sorted outby the supervisors or line managers who are sometimesthe cause of the problems.

Working together

Unions contribute to the success of an enterprise byhelping employers plan for the future and manage change.Sometimes companies and unions have to find imaginativesolutions to changes in demand for goods and services.Working together means both sides can explore ways ofbringing benefits to employees as well as the enterprise.

By law, where more than 10 per cent of the workforcerequest it, employers must inform and consult workers aboutissues in the organisation, but some of the most dynamiccompanies work routinely with the unions to keep theirworkforce informed on crucial issues.

In large companies that operate in more than one EUcountry European Works Councils, in which unions repsoften play a part, are consultated where big changesor redundancies are planned.

Learning with unions

Unions aren’t just about work: they also help members geton in life by offering learning and skills opportunities. Theseinclude literacy, numeracy and language courses, and thechance to progress in further and higher education. A union’sspecialist adviser in this area is called a union learning rep.

How unions work

Union members in the same workplace will get togetherfrom time to time to talk about common problems.The issues most likely to come up are pay and pensions,safety, unfair treatment of a group or individual, or simplythe way work is organised. The union members willusually elect someone to speak on their behalf – a shopsteward or ‘representative’. This representive – or ‘rep’ – will

then discuss their concerns with management. Where theunion has a recognition agreement with management theywill have regular formal discussions.

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7/12

Just as workers benefit by joining together in a union,so unions gain strength by acting together throughthe TUC – the Trades Union Congress.

The TUC has a direct impact on the lives of workingpeople in many ways. For example, we offer advice onworkplace rights at the WorkSMART websitewww.worksmart.org.uk. We also publish a largerange of guidance materials, and run campaigns toinfluence public, employer and government opinionon issues like pensions and the environment.

But a large part of the TUC’s work involves assisting andco-ordinating the activities and services of its unions.

Ten things the TUC does for its unions

The TUC:

brings unions together to draw up common policieson issues like the economy, employment law,equality at work, and other workplace issues

presses the Government to implement policiesthat will benefit people at work

campaigns on economic and social issues

represents working people on public bodies

represents British workers on international bodies,in the European Union and at the UN employmentbody – the International Labour Organisation

carries out research on a wide range ofemployment-related issues

runs an extensive training and educationprogramme for union representatives

helps unions develop new services for theirmembers

helps unions avoid clashes with each other

builds links with other trade union bodiesworldwide.

Section 2the Trades Union Congress

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Five TUC campaign successes

In 1948 the NHS was created as a result of unioncampaigning.

In 1970 the Equal Pay Act made it illegal foremployers to give a woman worker differentpay and conditions to a male one doing workof equal value.

In 1999 the National Minimum Wage wasestablished to protect low-paid workers.

In 1999 thanks to union pressure at European level,a limit was placed on working hours, largely as ahealth and safety measure. This was quicklyfollowed by a minimum holiday entitlement.

In 2007 the no-smoking ban was introduced inpublic areas in response to union arguments thatworkers were risking their health.

The TUC unions

There are around 60 unions in the TUC – the number variesfrom year to year as unions merge and new members join.

The largest, Unite, is the result of a series of recent mergersand has nearly 1.5 million members. Its members workmainly in manufacturing, the utilities, construction andenergy supply, as well as in administrative, technical andsupervisory roles in both the public and private sectors.

The second largest is UNISON with well over a millionmembers. Most of these work in local government,healthcare, the water, gas and electricity industries, furtherand higher education, transport, the voluntary sector andhousing associations.

One other union has more than 500,000 members: theGMB. Its membership also spans the public and privatesectors and includes workers in industries as diverse astextiles, hotels and catering, food production, chemicals,ship building and energy.

A further nine unions each have more than 100,000members. These tend to limit their membership to specificareas. Unions in this group cover retailing, communications,

the civil service, teaching and construction.

The remaining 40 – 50 unions vary in size from more than70,000 members to just a handful. Most regard themselvesas specialist unions. There are several in the entertainmentindustry, some in transport and others for professionalworkers in the health services, such as radiographers, orphysiotherapists. Some unions, especially in the financesector, confine their membership to employees of oneparticular company.

Some of these unions have belonged to the TUC for ahundred years or more. Others have joined very recently.

Two unions have recently established formal links withsister unions overseas. Unite has joined with the American

United Steelworkers to form Workers Uniting and Nautilus,representing maritime professionals, has linked up with itsDutch equivalent to form a new Anglo-Dutch union.

A full list of all TUC member unions, with addresses,membership figures and contact names is publishedevery year in the TUC Directory. You can alsofind it on the TUC website www.tuc.org.uk.

The TUC runs campaigns to

influence public, employer

and government opinion.

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Five facts about the TUC’s history

The TUC was founded in Manchester in 1868.

The Labour Party was established by the TUCunions so that working people could have theirown representatives in Parliament. However,the TUC itself is not affiliated to the Labour Party.

The TUC helped rebuild the German trade union

movement after the second world war. The TUC, with the Labour Party, owned a popular

daily newspaper, the Daily Herald , until 1964 whenit was sold. It later became The Sun.

Its London headquarters, Congress House, is aGrade 2 listed building. The internal courtyardis dominated by a giant ‘pieta’ style statue ofa woman holding her dead son: it was carvedon the spot by world-famous artist Jacob Epsteinas a war memorial.

Epstein’s monolithic statue

inside Congress House is

easily viewed by all those

using the building.

16 + 17 P h o t o : U n i c h r o m e

P h o t o s : T U C l i b r a r y


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How the TUC works

CongressTUC policy is set by the annual Congress, which meetsfor four days of debate each year in early September.All unions are entitled to be represented – the sizeof their delegation depends on the size of the union.Congress considers motions (resolutions) submitted byunions and receives a report from the General Council.

General CouncilBetween Congresses the General Council makes TUC policy.It meets once every two months, oversees the TUC workprogramme and sanctions new initiatives. The larger unionsare automatically represented on the General Council.The smaller unions ballot for a number of reserved places.

There are also seats reserved for women and black workers,and one representative each for young workers; disabledworkers; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderworkers. The total membership of the General Council isfive, including the General Secretary.

The Executive CommitteeThe General Council appoints some of its members to forman Executive Committee. This meets monthly. It implementsand develops policy, manages the TUC financial affairs anddeals with any urgent action. Its membership is updated bythe General Council at their first meeting after Congress.

PresidentThe post-Congress meeting of the General Council electsthe President for that Congress year. The President chairsmeetings of the General Council and the Executive andis consulted by the General Secretary on all major issues.They also preside over Congress at the end of their yearof office.

Task Groups and CommitteesReports are given to the General Council by a number ofother bodies besides the Executive. There are task groupsset up by the General Council to deal with specific areasof policy.

And there are committees that provide a link to otherparts of the trade union movement such as the Women’sCommittee, which includes members elected by the

annual TUC Women’s Conference as well as members ofthe General Council. The Race Relations Committee, theDisability Committee and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual andTransgender Committee have similar links to their ownconferences. The Young Members’ Forum also reportsto the General Council, as does the body representingTrades Union Councils – trade union bodies that bringactivists together from different unions at local level.Trades Union Councils do valuable campaigning work inthe community. They are mostly registered with the TUC.

UNIONS

Congress

General Council

Executive

Committee

Equalities Conferences

and Young Members’

Conference

Equalities Committees

and Young

Members’ Forum

Unionlearn

Board

Trades Councils

and Trades Councils

Conference

Trades Councils

Joint Consultative

Committee

Task Groups

Political andcampaigning work

The TUC is not affiliated to the

Labour Party, and neither are

many of its member unions.

That means that at election

time the TUC cannot endorse

a particular party by name.However it can point to

policies that it believes would

be positive for workers’

rights, or to social cohesion

and community welfare.

Conversely it can campaign

politically against policies that

it believes would be injurious.

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General SecretaryThe General Secretary is the one full-time member ofthe General Council. Brendan Barber was elected tothis post in late 2002. He is the lead spokesperson forthe organisation and is responsible for the day-to-dayoperation of the TUC. Two other senior members of

staff are appointed by the General Council. They arethe Deputy General Secretary, Frances O’Grady, andthe Assistant General Secretary, Kay Carberry.

TUC staffMost of the TUC staff of over 320 work at the head office,Congress House, in central London. The others are basedin the regions, and in Scotland, Wales and Brussels.

The TUC in the regionsTUC activities in the regions are co-ordinated by full-timeTUC regional secretaries in each of the six English regions.Union representatives in each region meet regularly throughTUC regional councils. A similar ar rangement applies inWales – though the Wales Trades Union Council also has

its own annual conference.

The TUC also works closely with the Scottish TUC and theNorthern Ireland Committee of the I rish Congress of TradeUnions, although these are separate organisations.

Centres for the people who are unemployedA network of around 100 TUC Centres for the Unemployedacts as a voice for those out of work and providesadvice and assistance on welfare rights, educationand representation.

UnionlearnThe TUC has its own learning and skills organisation calledunionlearn. Its role is to foster arrangements at national andlocal level for union reps, officers and members to developtheir learning and skills. Each year it trains some 55,000reps, safety reps and officers and has trained and supported24,000 specialist union learning reps. Unionlearn is based atCongress House with a team of professionals in each region.

Political lobbyingThe TUC provides regular briefing materials to MPs. It seeksto win support irrespective of their party. Some of ourunions belong to the Labour Party, paying affili ation feesand having votes at the Party conference. Other unionsare strictly non-political.

The TUC and EuropeThe TUC has an office in Brussels, which keeps in closetouch with developments in the European Commissionand its institutions. The TUC also works closely with theEuropean TUC, which represents trade union organisationsacross Europe, and takes part in European-level discussionswith employer organisations as a means of drawing upagreements on workplace issues that can be implemented

in all member states. The TUC has been working with Europefor more than 20 years. It wants a strengthened ‘socialEurope’ to match the single market.

The TUC’s five principal aims are to:

raise the quality of working life

achieve greater equality in society and within unions

boost trade union organisation and representation

improve economic performance alongside greatersocial justice at home and abroad

increase workers’ life chances throughlifelong learning.

Unionlearn is the part of the

TUC that delivers learning

and skills for union officers,

reps and members

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DiscriminationSince 1975, it has been illegal for peopleto be discriminated against because oftheir sex; and since 1976 because of theircolour, race, nationality or ethnic origin.The Disability Discrimination Act 1995made it unlawful to discriminate ongrounds of disability. Laws introduced in 2003 have made itillegal to discriminate on grounds of sexualorientation (that is, being lesbian, gay,bisexual or heterosexual) or on grounds ofreligion and belief, and age discriminationwas outlawed in 2006. Transgender

people have been protected by the SexDiscrimination Act since 1999. The many different anti-discriminationlaws and regulations are being consolidatedinto a single law, the Equality Act.

Education and trainingThe TUC trains union representativeswho broker deals with learning providers.Most unions also run training courses forfull-time officers and lay representativeson issues like employment rights, healthand safety and information technology.The TUC helps unions run courses for

members that contribute to their personaland professional development. Unionswork with employers to make sure thatemployees have access to training atwork, and support government trainingschemes like the Apprenticeships scheme.

Health and safetySince the introduction of the Health &Safety at Work Act of 1974 all employerswith more than five employees arerequired to have a written safety policy.They must also have clearly communicatedarrangements for putting it into effect.Trade unions provide the expertise at theworkplace on the legal requirements andstandards for their industry.

Where they are recognised by employers,unions have the right to appoint safety repsand employers have a duty to consult them.

NegotiationNegotiation is where union representativestalk over issues with management.If there is a difference of opinion betweenmanagement and union leaders thennegotiation is about finding a solution.

Organising‘Organising’ describes how unions recruitnew members and build strong unioncommunities in workplaces. Active memberswho have shared and agreed goals giveunions greater bargaining powers innegotiations with employers.

The TUC’s Organising Academy aims toserve as a model of training excellence fororganisers. Trainees spend a year learningthe craft of union organising, mostly on the

job with sponsoring unions, but also in theclassroom.

Personal legal helpMost unions help with legal issues such assecuring compensation for personal injury,especially work-related injury and illness, andtraffic accidents. Some will help with issueslike public liability and criminal negligence.Some unions also help with personal matterslike housing, making a will or debt advice.They offer financial discounts such asdiscounts on mortgages and insurance andloans, and welfare benefits – one of thetrade union movement’s earliest functionswas to look after members in difficulty.Some unions offer financial help to memberswhen they are sick or unemployed.

RecognitionMany workplaces have a formal agreementbetween the union and the company,which states that the union has the rightto negotiate with the employer. In theseorganisations unions are said to be‘recognised’ for collective bargainingpurposes. Recent legislation has maderecognition automatic where membershipis over 50 per cent and there are more than20 employees. The TUC is campaigningfor a change to the law so that smallerenterprises are included and recognition

is granted where a simple majority wantit (of those who vote).

RepresentationUnions represent individuals when theyhave a work problem, and workers nowhave a legal right to be accompanied by theirunion in a grievance or disciplinary hearingat work. This usually settles the matter, butif the problem is not resolved it may go to anemployment tribunal. A tribunal makes sureemployment laws are adhered to. It is madeup of people outside the workplace andmembers can ask their union to representthem there. Most cases at employmenttribunals are about pay, unfair dismissal,redundancy or discrimination at work.

Unions also offer members legalrepresentation. This is usually to help peopleget financial compensation for work-relatedinjuries or to help members take theiremployer to court as a last resort.

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Glossary

Documents

Unions at Work