UNIT 5 - TRADE UNIONS

These are bodies which represent workers in negotiations with management. This is known as COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. They will talk to management over issues such as:

• Wages
• Working conditions, including Health and Safety
• Equal opportunities issues
• Redundancies

Workers generally feel stronger if they are in a union that fights on behalf of them all and many managers find it easier to negotiate with one body that represents all workers. Some managers resent trade unions however.

Trade unions are run by full time paid officials at their central and regional offices but they also have unpaid, voluntary representatives known as SHOP STEWARDS in the workplace who are the first ‘port of call’ for the workers. They have a number of weapons to help them secure their demands:

• GO SLOW – not work as quickly as they can
• WORK TO RULE – just do what the rule book says and nothing extra
• OVERTIME BAN – refuse to work outside normal hours
• SIT IN – occupy the place of work, usually to try to prevent redundancies
• STRIKE – refuse to work until their demands are met, or there is agreement on a compromise. When they do this they will usually set up a picket line outside the place of work to try to stop anyone from working and ‘breaking the strike’.

The strike is usually the most effective weapon because it stops all work but it does create hardship for workers who are not being paid their wages but who have to rely on ‘strike pay’ from the union if it can afford it.