Human Resource Management

TRADE UNION
An organized association of workers in a trade,
group of trades, or profession, formed to protect
and further their rights and interests.
 TYPES OF TRADE UNIONS
There are major four types of trade unions:

• Crafts of Skill Unions: This union consists of all those workers

possessing same type of skills.

• Industrial Unions: This union represents workers of the same industry.

• General Unions: This union is formed by collection of workers from

different industries and having different skills.

• White Collar Unions: This union represents all the office workers at
higher posts.
Why do people join Trade Union??
• Greater bargaining power
• Minimise Discrimination
• Sense of Security
• Sense of participation
• Sense of Belongingness
• Platform for self expression
• Betterment of relationships
  
OBJECTIVE OF TRADE UNIONS

• Wages and Salaries: The subject which drew the major attention of the trade
unions is wages and salaries. Of course, this item may be related to policy
matters. However, differences may arise in the process of their
implementation. In the case of unorganised sector the trade union plays a
crucial role in bargaining the pay scales. 
• Working Conditions: Trade unions with a view to safeguard the health of
workers demands the management to provide all the basic facilities such as,
lighting and ventilation, sanitation, rest rooms, safety equipment while
discharging hazardous duties, drinking, refreshment, minimum working
hours, leave and rest, holidays with pay, job satisfaction, social security
benefits and other welfare measures. 
• Employee-employer relation: Harmonious relations between the employees
and employer is a sine quo non for industrial peace. A trade union always
strives for achieving this objective. However, the bureaucratic attitude and
unilateral thinking of management may lead to conflicts in the organisation
which ultimately disrupt the relations between the workers and
management.
• Welfare: As stated earlier, trade unions are meant for the welfare
of workers. Trade union works as a guide, consulting authority and
cooperates in overcoming the personnel problems of workers. It
may bring to the notice of management, through collective
bargaining meetings, the difficulties of workers in respect of
sanitation, hospitals, quarters, schools and colleges for their
children’s cultural and social problems.

• Negotiating machinery: Negotiations include the proposals made

by one party and the counter proposals of the other party. This
process continues until the parties reach an agreement. Thus,
negotiations are based on ‘give and take’ principle. Trade union
being a party for negotiations, protects the interests of workers
through collective bargaining. Thus, the trade union works as the
negotiating machinery. 
 
 
 ADVANTAGES OF TRADES UNIONS
 INCREASE WAGES FOR ITS MEMBERS: 
Industries with trade unions tend to have higher
wages than those industries not having trade unions.

 REPRESENT WORKERS:
Trades Unions can also protect workers from
exploitation, and help to uphold health and safety
legislation. Trades unions can give representation to
workers facing legal action.
 PRODUCTIVITY DEALS:

Trades Unions can help to negotiate productivity deals. This means

they help the firm to increase output; this enables the firm to be
able to afford higher wages. Trades unions can be important for
implementing new working practices which improve productivity.
non-unionised industries

 SECURING JOBS:

As part of the trade union, people are assured that their job would
be secured whatever happens. This is very important since trade
union are really making their best in order to make sure that all
the people are given the chance to land for a permanent job.
 DISADVANTAGES OF TRADES UNIONS
IGNORE NON MEMBERS:
Trades unions only consider the needs of its members, they often ignore the plight of those
excluded from the labour markets, e.g. the unemployed.

 LOST PRODUCTIVITY:
If unions go on strike and work unproductively (work to rule) it can lead to lost sales and output.
Therefore their company may go out of business and be unable to employ workers at all.

 WAGE INFLATION:
If unions become too powerful they can bargain for higher wages, above the rate of
inflation and it may also cause unemployment.
  IMPORTANCE OF TRADE UNIONS
• Promoting and maintaining national integration by
reducing the number of industrial disputes

• Incorporating a sense of corporate social

responsibility in workers

• Achieving industrial peace

• Accelerating the pace of economic development

 FUNCTIONS OF TRADE UNIONS
 MILITANT/PROTECTIVE FUNCTIONS:
• Ensuring adequate wages, better working conditions and better treatment from
employers fight with the management in the form of strikes, boycotts, gheraos etc.
• Achieve higher wages and better working conditions.
• Raise the status of workers as a part of industry and
• Protect labour against victimization and injustice.

 FRATERNAL FUNCTIONS:
• Providing financial and non-financial assistance to workers
• Extension of medical facilities during sickness and casualties,
• Provision of education, recreation, and housing facilities,
• Provision of religious and social benefits.
• To encourage sincerity and discipline among workers.
• To provide opportunities for promotion and growth.
 Social Functions:
Carrying out social service activities discharging social responsibilities through various
sections of the society like educating the customers.

 Political Functions:
• Affiliating a union to a political party
• Helping the political party in enrolling members
• Collecting donations
• Seeking the help of political parties during the strikes and lockouts.

 Ancillary Functions:
• Communication : trade union communicates its activities, programmes, decisions
achievements etc., through publication of news letter.
• Welfare Activities : acquiring of house sites, construction of houses, establishment of co-
operative housing societies, organizing training activities etc.
• Education : educational facilities to its members and their family members.
• Research : Arrange to conduct research programme. Collect and analyze data and
information for collective bargaining, preparing notes for union officials.
 The Five Basic Steps to Organizing a Union

STEP 1: BUILD AN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Leaders are identified and an organizing committee representing all major
departments and all shifts and reflecting the racial, ethnic and gender diversity in
the workforce is established. Organizing committee training begins immediately.
Committee members must be prepared to work hard to educate themselves and
their co-workers about the union and to warn and educate co-workers about the
impending management anti-union campaign.
STEP 2: ADOPT AN ISSUES PROGRAM
The committee develops a program of union demands (the
improvements you are organizing to achieve) and a strategy for the
union election campaign. A plan for highlighting the issues
program in the workplace is carried out through various organizing
campaign activities.
STEP 3: SIGN-UP MAJORITY ON UNION CARDS
Your co-workers are asked to join UE and support the
union program by signing membership cards. The goal is to
sign-up a sizable majority. This "card campaign" should
proceed quickly once begun and is necessary to hold a
union election.
STEP 4: WIN THE UNION ELECTION
The signed cards are used (and required) to petition the state or federal labour
board to hold an election. It will take the labour board at least several weeks to
determine who is eligible to vote and schedule the election. The union campaign
must continue and intensify during the wait. If the union wins, the employer must
recognize and bargain with the union. Winning a union election not only requires a
strong, diverse organizing committee and a solid issues program, but there must
also be a plan to fight the employer’s anti-union campaign.
STEP 5: NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT
The organizing campaign does not let up after an election victory.
The real goal of the campaign, a union contract (the document the
union and the employer negotiate and sign, covering everything from
wages to how disputes will be handled), is still to be achieved.
Workers must be mobilized to support the union’s contract demands
(decided by you and your co-workers) and pressure the employer to
meet them.
• ORGANIZED! MAKE IT YOUR UNION!
 CONCLUSION

On the whole the unions have supplied a felt

want and filled an important gap. It can easily be
seen that in their absence the workers would
have been ruthlessly exploited.
 THINK!! THINK!! THINK!!
If the masses suffer, does the nation gain??
 PREPARED BY:
SAGAR JAIN
ASHISH MEHTA
RAHUL KUMAR SINGH
RANGANATH
NAVEENKUMARA
BHARATH