Trade Union Movement in UK and Trade Union Membership - Book Report/Review Example

However, the changes in the past decade have altered the approach to the trade union movement. This has led to a lack of effectiveness in the trade union, specifically with a decline of members to minority numbers and complexities by offering constructive solutions to those that are a part of the union. The decline in membership and activity shows that a change in planning and initiatives should be established, specifically to assist individuals with the needs that are required for the trade union and the new trends that are established with the working class.

Upgrading the trade union movement will then offer new and logical solutions to the working class environment.The trade union movement in the UK was established in 1867 under the Royal Commission. The objective of the movement was to offer socio-economic support to the working class, specifically so the employees and employers would have a medium to offer constructive solutions to the working environment. The approach was established with the Labour Representation Committee becoming the median for employees and employers.

Employees would have an outside area to move into for discrimination or unfair acts they believed were created by employers. Both the employers and employees then had the ability to find resolutions and to offer fair acts between those that were a part of the industrial area. This was combined with strikes and court hearings that changed the policies and procedures for working areas while altering the environment of companies. The approach was based on union member rights, dispute resolution and discipline and expulsion issues that were resolved by the Labour Committee (Webb, 1994: 3).

The change with the Trade Union Movement began to alter in the 1980s with agreements that were issued in political arenas. The approach was weakened with Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, which made strikes illegal and which criticized the dispute resolution and membership rights.