Role of Trade Unions in the 21st Century - Essay Example

Role of Trade Unions in the 21st Century Introduction A trade is an organization based on membership of employees in various fields of professions, occupations and trade that focuses mainly in the representation of its members at the work place or the society and seeks to advance its interests through the process of making rules and collective bargaining. The United Kingdom Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidated) Act 1992 at Section 5 defines an independent trade union as a trade union which is not under the control of an employer or a conglomeration of employers or their associations. Moreover, it is not liable to interference by an employer or such an association either through financial or material support (Great Britain 2013, p.13). A trade union’s power originates from its supporters in both qualitative and quantitative terms in that a larger number of person’s within a specific union is an indicator of its ability to exert influence on policy (Coats 2005, p.50). This can be achieved in a number of ways as long as the trade union has the structure and mechanisms to consolidate, focus and make appropriate use of its membership base in its efforts to make the workplace a better place. A trade union must therefore also aim at strengthening the membership activity of the union by standing up and fighting for their rights, which requires that the members are aware of the objectives of the union. The union also requires competence in the sense that in the present and future balancing of interests, the trade union must be competent in the discussions touching on the welfare of workers. Further, the ILO Conventions puts an emphasis on the freedom of association and social development, which is a strong foundation for a viable industrial relations system. The observance of the freedom of association and social development shows that the national labour laws allow democratic citizens to participate in industrial matters to promote equity. When the state does not allow freedom of association in matters relating labour, then other freedoms are likely to be curtailed at the workplace. Creating an enabling environment for employment and sustainable livelihoods has been one of the core functions of trade unions in the 21st century that has helped in the achievement of economic and political stability. Universally, people should be able to choose what work they accept and should not be forced on what work to accept and working people should be able to form and join organizations of their own choice to voice their concerns. This is a fundamental prerequisite for the functioning of a democracy and applies at the workplace as well and the society as it enables the individual worker to redress the inherent power imbalance that determines the nature of his employment. Therefore, the creating of the possibility for collective bargaining gives the trade unions and the employers the opportunities to solve industrial problems that would have otherwise been solved through the lengthy litigation and legislation. In addition, labour standards also require that a person shall not be discriminated against in employment on grounds of sex, religion, race or ethnic origin amongst other criteria and these can also be maintained through the active participation in labour relations. In summary, in understanding the functioning of trade unions, it is imperative that you evaluate them under four criteria namely; traditional, militancy, moderation and innovative. This implies that trade unions play a major role in industrial actions such as strikes, manages mergers and amalgamations, collaborates with employers and organizes unionism or social movement. In evaluating the roles of trade unions and their relevance in the twenty-first century, it is important that we look at it from different angles that may include unitary perspectives, which resists participation in trade union movement or from a neo-unitary perspective where the main role is to help organizations improve performance. We may also look at them from the neo-liberal perspective that puts a consideration on the adverse labour markets because of labour activities (Daniels and McIlroy 2009, p.1). Further, from a pluralist perspective we see the relevance of trade unions as to stop the exploitation of employees in an employment relationship while if we look at their relevance from a radical perspective, we talk about militant actions to stop exploitation of workers as shown in the industrial action by Rail Maritime Transport (RMT) workers  (Darlington 2009, pp. 3-32). Trade Unions in the United Kingdom Trade unions have been a major influence in the twenty first century with effects felt in most labour markets including the United Kingdom with statistics showing that about 6.5 million in the UK alone were members of a trade union as at the year 2012. The rise in membership in trade unions followed four consecutive falls in membership, which only picked from the period between 2011 and 2012 showing a stable rate of 26 percent (Great Britain 2013, p.5). For a trade union to operate in the United Kingdom, it requires recognition from the employers, which in most instances is reached voluntarily, or with the help of Labour Relations Agency as well as through statutory recognition. Apart from the traditional role of trade unions in the United Kingdom, they have also turned into social partners to the employers in the development of national employment policies as well as contributing on discussions on matters that touch on fairness at the work place and productivity (Simms and Charlwood 2010, pp.125-149). The competitiveness provided through this create an essential framework within which stakeholders such as the government, employers and trade unions can debate about employment relationships in industrial labour relations. Trade unions in the UK have also contributed to a sense of confidence in the places of work through the building of constructive relationships that facilitate rapid and effective adoption of change in the running of employment institutions (Institute of Personnel and Development 1997, p.11). In the United Kingdom, there is the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) (Williams and Adam-Smith 2010, p.22) which is a grouping of more than fifty unions representing almost six million workers with various interests and job affiliations. There are many reasons for joining a union or the Trade Unions Congress whereby one can join through his respective union or other affiliates. Trade unions usually recognize partnership between them and employers and employees (Bach 2005, p.430) which include the joint commitment to organizational success, the recognition of different legitimate interests as well as security of employment (Johnstone, Ackers and Wilkinson 2009, pp.260-279). It also focuses on the quality of working life and the transparency in the sharing of information as well as the mutual gains and addition of value through participation in the activities of a trade union. Role of Trade Unions in the 21st Century Trade unions discuss treaties with managers on the pay and conditions of work and discuss the major changes to the workplace. They at times accompany their members in disciplinary and grievance meetings and may provide their members with legal and financial advice whenever required when solving or litigating industrial or labour matters. In each country, there is legislation that controls and gives the legal mandate to trade unions as well as setting out its objectives as a trade union. The main force that informs the trade union experiences in nations including the United Kingdom is the social and political forms that allotted specific tasks to the unions because the state has little interest in autonomous groupings that represent the interests of the wage earners. Trade unions therefore aim at promoting the interests of its members or the workforce including the larger society and have a duty to maintain the viability of the undertaking through cooperation with management in measures that promotes efficiency and good industrial relations. They therefore where appropriate maintain jointly with the management and other trade unions effective arrangements at industrial levels for the consultation, negotiation and communication in settling disputes and grievances amongst other matters affecting workers. The most important function of trade unions is the welfare role in that trade unions are actively engaged in the provision of welfare services for members of the trade union and the society who are affected by an employment relationship (Kurzman and Maiden 2010, p.241). The trade unions functioning within the business union function or being multi-issue and multi-functional institutions, which give the idea of a trade union as a movement, can achieve this. At certain occurrences, the trade unions have transcended the illustration of their membership and reached out on behalf of non-members by assisting to the society. The trade unions are also required to provide advisory services for their members and assist them comprehend the terms and conditions of their employment as well as identifying dynamics in industrial relations to help members foresee and keep shoulder to shoulder of impending change. In answering the question about the relevance of trade unions at the work place and for wider employment relations concerns in the 21st century, it is important to break the roles into distinct categories. Trade unions have a market role through the intervention of wage bargaining that has a direct impact on the economy and a regulatory role in that it sets standards in relation to jobs and terms of conditions. It also has a democratizing role as it creates democracy at the place of work and a service role in promoting the intervention of others. Trade unions also play an enhancement role in helping develop the human potential of members of the union to improve their conditions and play a welfare role through assistance to particular groups (Hyman 2001, p.6). Trade unions play a regulatory role in that it regulates the standards at the work place and the society in line with the ILO Conventions and Recommendations (Stevis and Boswell 2008, p.83). The strength of the trade union at the work place determines its ability to regulate a job function and handles issues such as grievances, discipline, job evaluation, redundancy, work changes amongst others in line with the terms and conditions of the employer-employee relationship. In so doing, they provide sound basis for unions to perform regulatory duties that are beneficial to the workers. Trade unions also provide service roles that are valuable to its members as individuals outside the scope of collective bargaining through assistance to its members (Waddington, Kahmann and hoffman 2005, p.37). This has been achieved through the non-traditional ventures such as housing schemes or transport for the benefit of its members or through operation of businesses to generate more income. The non-traditional ventures or investments by trade unions has made most of them attractive and appealing to other members other than those at the mainstream work place to join these unions for prosperity. Trade unions also play a democratizing role as the union’s leadership is always provided with the opportunity to elect their leaders through in most instances the delegate system. The process of preparation for collective bargaining encourages the participation of workers and therefore further democracy that is shown through the rights and freedoms of choice (Pencavel 2001, p.86). Traditionally, the separation of capital and labour has given the wrong impression that there should be an acceptance of the notion that workers are merely resources and should just be manipulated in whatever means. Therefore, access to popular political participation through the right to vote in union leadership has led to the demands by workers for economic democracy or the right to participate in industrial democracy, which has in turn led to the improvement of the welfare of workers. Trade unions also play a market or economic role in that trade unions always participate in the negotiation of wages and salaries of the employees that in turn helps in distributing the value that is added in the business firm and increasing the spending power of members in the economy (Ravenhill 2005, p.13). While maximizing benefits to members, trade unions are cognizant of the fact that they have a role to play in the regulation of employment and inflation as they control both labour and the wages earned by members. Related to this is that the trade unions usually direct their efforts at protecting their workers against the ravages of inflation and improves the living standards of the members in that they defend the right to work and support both micro and micro economic policies required for employment. Trade unions come in handy especially when the worker is suspicious that the employer might lay them off, cut their wages, or intensify the work process at any given time that makes them uncertain or disloyal to the employer. Employers always need workers that they can trust to exercise the initiative on the job and workers need to trust the management as well which calls for the employers to recognize that cooperation and engagement of the workers is beneficial to both of them. Therefore, the absence of security and flexibility in employment usually weakens the ability of trade unions to initiate changes at the work place or any employment relationship. For unions to overcome the challenge of security and flexibility posed be employers, they should embrace a strategy of continuous adaptation through consultation and information that includes contribution to management plans, pointing out the problems and the search for acceptable solutions. Trade unions therefore need to have a framework for continuous discussion and bargaining to keep pace with the changing structural adaptation of employers. Conclusion In the twenty-first century, trade unions have seen their membership dwindle though they still have greater influence in checking the welfare of workers at the work place and in any employment relationship. The dwindling has partially been caused by unfavourable recognition policies as well as little improvements in the labour markets and includes other factors such as an ageing population and lack of support. That notwithstanding, the trade unions have played a critical role in the employment sector as it has been able to mobilize workers in defence of their rights and provide an opportunity to negotiate for reforms at the work place. As already discussed above, trade unions are more than only interest advocates for employees in employment relations but also as important components of the society. It is not just about improved work conditions such as negotiated wages but also of social framework conditions in the representation of workers and the society. References Bach, S. 2005. Managing human resources: personnel management in transition. Malden, MA, Blackwell. Coats, D. 2005. Raising Lazarus: the future of organized labour, London, Fabian society Daniels, G. and McIlroy, J. 2009. Trade Unions in a neo-liberal world, Abingdon, Routledge Darlington, R. 2009. 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