The Influence of Trade Union Organizations Essay

Abstract

This paper will focus on the influence of trade unions in organizations, this paper defines a trade union as an organization formed and run by employees in all categories including professionals and non-professionals who join to mainly gain bargaining power over the issues that affect them as employees.

This paper will be in a position to indicate things that trade unions fight for employees which include, suitable salaries, better working conditions free from health hazardous. Availability of favorable policies that do not infringe on employees’ human rights, providence of good social amenities include infrastructure, among many other not just benefits but human needs that will enable workers to work better and be productive. The paper will also give examples of trade union functionalities that can influence either positively or negatively any organizations’ participation initiatives. The paper will also look into the type of system of employment present.

Introduction

The main reason for forming a trade union is for employee’s protection from oppression from mainly the employers some of the benefits that employees’ gains from trade union membership include collective bargaining over wages, working conditions including whether the working environment is conducive especially in matters to do with health this include working conditions and tools. The trade unions also fight for considerable working hours; this protects employees from over work exploitation by the employers. They also protect workers from oppressive social policies and legislations that would infringe on workers’ rights. Other benefits include work rules, management hierarchy, hiring, firing and promotions matters etc. However not all trade unions have such rights, most of the times there is always a struggle between trade unions and employers including governments. (Markey, Hodkinson and Kowalczyk, 2002) The struggle results to strikes and go-slows. Furthermore if the reasons for strikes and go-slows are not resolved, it results to law suits and in worst cases closure of businesses and organizations. Members of trade unions include professionals or white color job class, individual workers, the unemployed and past workers. Apart from workers protection, trade unions have impact on political and economical systems of a country and may be involved in lobbying for a particular candidate for a certain post or as a matter of fact finance an individual who is most likely fight for trade unions interests in higher ranks of the government. However, on the same note it is important to note that not all trade unions are genuine especially when it comes to political and economic affairs. Many leaders have been accused of compromising the interests of their supporters when they are presented counter offers with political or financial gifts by the employers or the government itself. Moreover, masters too have a way of protecting themselves from “unreasonable” demands from workers. Whenever the workers plan to strike to push for a certain right, the masters are seen in labor courts looking for favors and assistance from judges. 18^th Century economist Adam Smith said that “When workers combine, masters… never cease to call aloud for the assistance of the civil magistrate…..” In addition masters also come together especially those in the same businesses to insure that workers are frustrated in their search of better services. The employers do this by agreeing not to raise salaries or to better their workers working conditions especially those that will cost them extra cost. They also do it by refusing to employ workers who have left other but same type of organizations. In the end, the desperate workers stop pushing for their rights or settle for less. It is important to note that the right to join or not to join a trade union is in article 23, subsection 4 and in article 20 subsection 2 respectively of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). These to articles give a worker a choice of joining or not joining a trade union and nothing should either compel or prohibit from practicing his human right on issues of employment (Panitch and Swartz, 2003).

Discussion

Organizations are faced with different choices of people to employ because there are advantages and disadvantages of employing either unionized or un-unionized employees. Organizations have to choose from different categories of employees. These categories or models include a closed shop or otherwise known as pre-entry shop. This category is mainly found in the UK and in this case the employer must source employees from the union. This is could be both a positive and or a negative influence an organization since they are organizations that are against trade unions. In such a scenario, an organization might decide against investing in certain areas especially if there are strong trade unions since the company feel that it will first be able to have a large choice of human resource since human resource market vary from organization to another (Schregle, 1976).

Again this kind of category can put of organization from investing if they feel that the trade unions are also lobbyist of a policy that the organization has a conflict of interest with. For example would be difficult for any organization to put up an energy plant in part of the Europe without recognizing the objectives that were set up by the European Union sustainable development strategy in 2006 which included environmental protection, social equity and cohesion, economic prosperity and meeting EU international responsibility. (Wimalasiri and Kouzmin, 2000) Though nice sounding the above requirements might be very expensive for an organization on both costs of production and expenditure, however since fight on climate has intensified over the time, this might be a good opportunity for organization who would like to win the public’s opinion on their positive views on the climate. As a result such trade unions would become an attractor to some organizations. Though it could be expensive to consider all the requirements including supporting policy on promotion and protection of fundamental rights, solidarity within and between generation open to democracy, society involved, business and social partnership, it could actually end up being profitable since the public will incline to buy commodities from environmentally and community friendly organizations. Besides that, there are trade unions that not only lobby for environment but also for stuff pricing. An organization may therefore feel put away by such unions since the organization would want to operate in a more libel ground where they can price their prices are not controlled. This kind of organization might fare well in developing countries since in those countries the trade unions are not well established and the trade union leaders are easily compromised due to the level of corruption that is reported in those countries. a good example of an organization that can do well in developing countries would be an energy organizations since first there are no strong trade unions that lobby for environment and again the governments and trade union in developing countries have been reported to be easily corruptible and so environmental and pricing issues would not be a problem in those countries. It is in such countries that many organizations would unethically succeed since besides the issues of environment and pricing being neglected, other necessities like housing and transport sector, infrastructure are completely forgotten and so such organizations would not feel the pitch of investing in such places (Clarke and Clements, 1978).

There is also another form of model of trade union system known as a Union shop or post-entry closed shop in the US. While there is such a system of working together with trade union, in the UK organizations are not necessarily obliged to employ unionized workers but are set a time within which a new non-union employee will be allowed to join a trade union. This category has its positive or negative influence on organizations involvement in an initiative. Organizations in this type of categories are free to employ both non and unionized employees and so they enjoy an expanded employee market share since they can employ anyone so long h/she will join a union later. This is encouraging to many organizations. However this is not the best category for employees because in case of anything they would have to pay an agency for trade union services. There is another form of employment where no trade union membership is required. In such a category, organizations again are free to employ anyone and this again gives them an expanded human resource market to employ from. This form of employment again allows organizations to feel free to stump their feet on working conditions since the employees have no bargaining power. This form of employment is mandated in some states in the US. However where trade unions are strong, non members still benefit from their influence (Schregle, 1976).

There are other types are trade unions that work together with the government or organization for the betterment of the employees working states. For example on 19 October 2007, the European trade unions and employers clinched a deal on flexicurity labor market reforms in the member of state at a key meeting with EU leaders in Lisbon. This was a result of two key challenges that engulfs Europe; the speed of globalization and the ageing population and this was weighing down Europe’s economy. As a result of this, there was a wide range of public consultation and months of arguments as to what were right amounts of flexibility and security, trade unions agreed to a policy that would guarantee more flexibility for enterprises to hire and fire workers while at the same time maintaining high standards of social security. Trade unions and employers created what they called a win-win situation which would be equally beneficial for both employees and employers. In such situations, the organizations are likely to be encouraged to get more and more involve in initiatives since they know as long as they keep their side of bargain, the trade unions will not bother them, as opposed to those other situation where everything seems to be going for trade unions. However, situation has to be really bad for trade unions to agree to such terms and so organizations may not have a lot to benefit. Like in the above case there is clearly not so much human resource and globalization is chasing Europe to the heels and so organizations might not find trade unions’ offer attractive enough.

Another situation that would influence an organization’s involvement is where the government has involved itself with trade unions affairs and it wants to favor especially organizations. The fight against neo-liberalism in Korea is a good example of government’s involvement. In Korea there are concerts and bands and musical artists who are against neo-liberal globalization and involvement of international financial institutions. However the government is for the idea and so it is banning all rallies and demonstrations that are concerned with this struggle. Movie industries’ lobbyists and trade unions plus the media have gunned up against government’s liberalizing movie industry. Actor Moon Sung-Geun is said that if the treaty between Korea and US is concluded, then US capital will swamp Korea’s movie industry forever and the Koreans will not pass their history and culture to their people. “We oppose neo-liberal globalization which destroys cultural and artistic diversity and we declare solidarity to the struggle against globalization. At the same time workers have said no to further privatization and foreign sale of public sectors. In fact the Korean Trade Unions’ 50,000 workers took part in this struggle. This is a very good example of trade unions influence on organizations because not unless the situation is fairly resolved, no investment can take place in such an environment.

Apart from the above both positive and negative influence on trade unions on organizations there is another way which trade unions can influence organizations. This is called positive anti-unionism which refers to corporate strategies that build on social –economic balance characteristic that almost replace trade unions. Example of this are found in Nordic region, where trade unions in this region work with various employers to establish national structures and policies that reflect the regions labor market models. In this type of system, employees’ needs are taken care of including fare salaries, favorable policies, and human rights considerations. As a result, trade unions become then redundant because their services have already been offered by the state or the employer. Such systems are favorable both for the organizations and for the employees and so this kind of systems is normally an attractor of organizations to this region. Organizations in this type of system also benefit from a good share of human resource since everyone is willing to work for such organization.

Conclusion

Competition in the labor market is likely to be high since there are organizations that are fare to the employees and so the organizations have the opportunity of getting the best out the labor market. Again organizations are likely to get involved more since they are already assured of trade union collaboration with them. (Wimalasiri and Kouzmin, 2000)At the same time, there is organization that would see this type of system not favorable since the maintenance of such a system might be expensive or less profitable to the side of organizations. It is expensive to make everybody happy and so organizations would prefer where there is a struggle with the trade union because there is always a loophole for compromising the trade unions leaders and oppressing the workers. Again such systems may seem to work well with the government and so there won’t be a situation for compromising of standards which is profitable for the side of organization. Depending on the kind of business an organization would want to venture in, this system seems to be the best of all the rest that this paper has covered both for the employee because anyway the fact that they have trade unions does not mean that all their problems are solved and also for the organization which does not need to keep on struggling and fighting with the State and Trade unions (Clarke and Clements, 1978).

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