discussion of trade unions roles in society and their functional limitations (original) (raw)
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It is a well known fact that in every industrial community there are two distinct classes i.e. the Employees and the Employers, without whom production at a large scale is not possible. Both these parties usually have contradictory motives, which creates many problems. Over the ages, the teeming millions which constituted a sizeable chunk of industrial society have struggled hard to achieve a greater measure of protection against inhuman treatment meted out to them by employers. They have learned to make themselves secure against ills over which they believed to have little control. In fact individually the labourers can do little to bring about the kind of reforms they believe desirable. They are effective only if they act in united ways. The very idea of joint action, laid down the foundation of the instrument of struggle for security and advancement – “Trade Union”. The Trade Union came into existence as an agent of workers and working class at large. It performs two functions:-
ABSTRACT Key Words: INTRODUCTION According to the definition of labour unions, they have always been attributed with securing financial and non-financial benefits for their members through collective bargaining. In this article, those aspects of labour unions have been researched, which are beyond collective bargaining, through literature in the world and through actual research in Pakistan. Four persons were also interviewed. Labour unions, public health, poverty alleviation, training, workers’rights “An organization, consisting predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of pay and conditions of employment for its members” It is found that unions have also been playing various kinds of social role, beyond collective bargaining for workers and society in: public health, alleviation of poverty, and providing training and educational services to workers. Details of some of these activities in Pakistan are given.
A Brief Survey on the Role of Trade Unions in Labour Markets
The analysis of the economic effects of trade unions on labour markets has evolved in a quite unsteady way, with empirical findings posing theoretical unsolved puzzles and theoretical analyses being either almost absent or amazingly prolific (Pencavel, 1991). This paper presents a brief survey of the studies made on trade unions and their effects on the labour markets.
Labor Unions and their Role in the Political Economy of Nations
Worldwide Journal of Multi-Disciplinary Studies | Published by: Dama Academic Scholarly & Scientific , 2020
We are all aware of the existence of labor unions as part of the socioeconomic structure and the political economy of nations. However, many of us are sometimes confused between whether there exists a need for labor unions especially in the context of the routine bad press they receive as obstacles to progress and economic growth of nations. Indeed, in recent years, thanks to the dominance of the neoliberal policies pursued in the West and beginning to spread across the globe, it is common for capitalists and the media alike to paint the functioning of labor unions in a negative light. However, this was not always the case and there was a time when labor unions were looked upon as necessary and even vital bodies for the healthy functioning of democracy and capitalism.
Trade unions in the workplace and the reasons behind their formation: an employee perspective
In the modern world, the need for workforce in organisations has greatly increased. As human beings, employees have various needs that if employers do not provide, productivity in the workplace may be adversely affected. Through experiences they have gone through, employees have come to understand the importance of oneness if they are to safeguard their interests. As a result, they have started to organise themselves into groupings known as trade unions or labour unions. Encyclopedia Britannica (n.d.) defines a trade union as a grouping of employees in an organisation formed in order to have their interests and goals well represented through collective bargaining. World Labour Organisation (n.d.) defines collective bargaining as a practice by which the employer and representatives of employees discuss terms and conditions of service to settle misunderstandings and reach a compromise. This paper attempts to discuss the assertion that employees form trade unions not only to negotiate salaries increments by explaining some of the reasons the unions are formed. To begin with, trade unions exist not only to ensure that employees get better pay but also that the working conditions at workplaces are favorable. According to World Labour Organisation (n.d.), working conditions cover a wide area in matters ranging from working time to wages, availability of amenities such as availability of restrooms, safety equipment, lighting as well as many other material and psychological hassles found in the place of work. It is the responsibility of employers to provide good working conditions to their employees and trade unions, through collective bargaining, assist in ensuring that the employers do what they are supposed to do. Related to working conditions is the issue of welfare of members. In his study, Trimbake (2017, p.13) found that trade unions in India were established to improve welfare of employees. Corbett (2009) defines welfare as a person's situation of being " healthy, safe, happy, or prospering. " On behalf their members, trade unions negotiate with employers regarding problems affecting them such medical aid, sanitation, children's school fees, just to cite a few. All these lead to the welfare of employee once they are met.
2010
The freedom to enter into contracts and to direct the use of economic resources one owns are essential to the operation of a market economy. Allowing employees to form unions to bargain collectively over wages and employment conditions is consistent with economic freedom, and any government intervention preventing unionization would be a violation of economic freedom. Nevertheless, American labor law, especially since the 1930s, has altered the terms and conditions under which unions collectively bargain to heavily favor unions over the firms that hire union labor. Labor law has given unions the power to dictate to employees collective bargaining conditions, and has deprived employees of the right to bargain for themselves regarding their conditions of employment. While unions and economic freedom are conceptually compatible, labor law in the United States, and throughout the world, has restricted the freedom of contract between employees and employers. The effect of unions on growth and prosperity can be examined at two levels. Narrowly, one can examine the effects that union contracts have had on unionized firms and industries. More broadly, one can look at the way that unions have affected labor law. Unions have successfully lobbied to increase the power of unions over firms, which in turn has allowed unions to impose more constraining conditions on
The past few decades have seen a marked decline in the influence of trade unions. While membership density stood at 55.6% of the workforce in 1979, it currently stands at around 27%. The membership level has been especially poor in the private sector, with just 14% of the workers being members of unions. While, at a point there were ‘closed shop agreements’ where joining a union was a pre-condition to employment at a few workplaces, now a good number of employers don’t even recognize unions. This decline can be attributed to various economic, legal and political factors and to changes in workplace relations. The trade unions have been trying to reinvent themselves in an effort to reverse this trend or to at least arrest it. While there have been a few instances of radical unionism, there has been a general shift towards greater co-operation and partnership with employers. For trade unions to regain their lost glory, they should first try and increase membership. This will only happen if they can convince workers that there is a clear benefit in joining them. This is tricky in the current scenario as they don’t enjoy the same kind of legal and political protection they once had.
IMPACT OF TRADE UNIONISM ON INDIAN SOCIETY
Dr. Kao Kveng Hong, 2012
A Trade union is an organization of workers, acting collectively, who seek to protect and promote their mutual interests through collective bargaining. Trade unions are based upon the concept of "class-struggle" between the capitalist employers and their workers. Tannenbaum traces the rise of unions to the worker's reaction to the philosophy of individualism dominating the 19 th and the 20 th centuries. The Industrial Revolution destroyed the older way of life and left the individual worker at the mercy of the employer "who became the catalytic agent that crystallized them into a self-conscious group." The worker became completely dependent on others for his livelihood, and "equality came to mean equality for competitive strife. The role of trade unions are considered as essentially reformist organizations and economic institutions based on the Sarvodaya principles of Truth, Non-violence and Trusteeship. Trade unions are important players in today's industrialized world. Trade Unions have three cardinal principles; Unity is strength, Equality of pay for equal work, Security of employment. Trade unions have gradually evolved and have now come to occupy an important place in the modern industrial order, they have now become gigantic associations; they have now become institutions which are interested in the social, cultural and political development of the county. Now-a-days the trade union movement is no longer solely a movement for advancing claims as a movement seeking to increase the material well being of its members but has grown into a force which not only defends the political, social and cultural interests of its members but also carries out special tasks affecting enterprising and intellectual workers especially with regard to their career, jobs, salaries, paid holidays, vocational training, recreational and health improvement programmes etc. The growth of trade unions has been influenced by a number of ideologies, social, economic and even political movements have influenced trade unions in one or the other way.
Economic Models of Trade Unions
1992
Unions as Organizations 1. The microeconomic theory of the trade union A.]. Oswald 1.1 Foundations 1.2 Trade unions in the literature 1.3 A model of a utilitarian trade union 1.4 On extensions and problems 1.5 Conclusion References Appendix 2. Labour union objectives and collective bargaining D. H. Blair and D. L. Crawford 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The specification of union goals 2.3 The union's majority preference relation 2.4 Are the union's preferences cardinal? 2.5 Union-firm bargaining solutions References 3. Union wages, temporary lay-offs, and seniority G. M. Grossman 3.1 A model of a unionized sector under seniority rule 3.2 Steady-state comparisons 3.3 The effect of the seniority rule for lay-offs 3.4 Concluding remarks References 4. The determination of the union status of workers H. S. Farber 4.1 Introduction IX Xl XV 3 4 8 20 61 61 VI Contents 4.2 A model of union status determination 4.3 The data and econometric framework 4.4 Estimation 4.5 Analysis of results 4.6 Summary and conclusions References PART TWO: Union-Employer Relations 5. Wage bargaining and employment I. M. McDonald and R. M. Solow 5.1 A simple monopoly union 5.2 Efficient bargains 5.3 The union as a commune: A digression 5.4 Some simple conventions 5.5 Formal bargaining theory 5.6 Sales constraints and incremental bargaining 5.7 Conclusion References 6. Longitudinal analyses of the effects of trade unions R. B. Freeman 6.1 Longitudinal models of what unions do 6.2 The problem of measurement error 6.3 Comparisons of longitudinal and cross-section estimates of union effects 6.4 Bounding the true impact? 6.5 Conclusion References 7. Trade unions and optimal labour contracts H. Horn and L. E. O. Svensson 7.1 Competitive equilibria 7.2 Optimal labour contracts and a union without internal risk-sharing 7.3 Efficient bargaining 7.4 Summary and concluding remarks References Appendix 8. Testing the efficiency of employment contracts