Ayman Alam (B804)
CIE IGCSE Economics Notes
UNIT 20 – Trade Unions A trade union is an organization that has been formed by workers in order to represent their rights and interests to their employers, for example in order to improve working conditions or wages. Unions usually belong to national or international organisations Types of Trade Unions Craft Union General Union Industrial Union White Collar Union
represents a particular type of skilled workers represents workers from a variety of trades and industries; they can be skilled or unskilled represents all types of workers in a particular industry represents particular professions
Functions of Trade Unions
Improving pay and other benefits – Unions, on behalf of their members, put pressure on the firm(s) to increase the wages of the workers. Negotiating with working hours Defending their employees’ rights and jobs - Unions persuade firms to make more use of labour rather than capital and so, in a way, protect the workers from being sacked. Securing improvements in working conditions – Unions make sure whether the working conditions are peaceful, pleasurable and comfortable for the employees. Better health and safety regulations – Stress, high blood pressure and headaches are common thing workers face and so unions make sure that workers are working in a healthy and safe environment. Improving pensions, sick pay, etc. Encouraging firms to increase worker participation in decision making Developing and protecting the skills of union members – Unions help with education on training schemes.
Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining is when representatives of workers negotiate with employers and their associations. An individual worker may not have the time and ability to negotiate with his/her employer. The employer may fire a worker if he/she asks for a wage rise or better working conditions. An individual worker has limited bargaining power. Unions consist of many members and so their bargaining power together is quite high.
1