Trade Union Movement in the United Kingdom



Trade Union Movement in the United Kingdom

Introduction

Earning profit and operating business in a lucrative way is the sole purpose of the business. Organizations can achieve this purpose quickly and sustain it for a longer time if there is unity among all the departments and employees of the organization. In order to keep the objective of the overall organization, to unite the employees and to address employees' various issues organizations and industries form unions. Moreover, the popularity of the phenomenon of globalization also requires the formation of trade unions to address the issue of trade and development in an effective and efficient way (Lange, 2002, pp. 57-59). This paper revolves around the same phenomenon. This paper describes variegated roles that trade unions perform in Europe and Russia.

Trade Union

Trade union a voluntary, public association of people bound by common interests in the nature of their activities in manufacturing, in services, culture, etc. Associations are formed to represent and protect workers' rights in labour relations, as well as socioeconomic interests of its members, with the possibility of a broader representation of employees (Marks, 2002, pp. 11-15).

Union membership has declined in developed countries, due to the decline of the manufacturing sector in recent years. In the economic prosperity, people do not consider it necessary to become union members and members fell sharply. The Trade union's pivotal roles are as follows:

To enable the views of work-related issues

Discussion on behalf of employees and employers

To ensure the legitimate rights and interests of employees to be implemented

To get involved in cases before the employment tribunal

To fight against discrimination

To promote equality at work

Since, the recession in the manufacturing sector trade unions in less than people working in the company. Trade unions are attracting more women and minority members, which resulted in such training opportunities, promotion, and recruitment and underrepresented these and other marginalized groups access to employment issues. Unions have been slow to embrace diversity, prominent, because they worry that differing interests, negotiations could undermine unity and weaken its influence in the market (Piazza, 2002, pp. 88-97).

Role of Trade Union in Europe

The trade union lobbies the government on draft employment legislation, meeting ministers privately, and responding publicly, orally and in writing, to government consultation documents. The trade union also seeks to exert pressure on the government indirectly through representation on government funded bodies, such as the Health and Safety Commission, the Low Pay Commission, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. In addition, it tries to influence members of Parliament whatever their political persuasion and members of the Welsh Assembly, and to build alliances with other voluntary pressure groups (Mcilroy, 2000, pp. 11-18). The trade union also reaches out to the public through the Internet, telephone hotlines, and through the media. One example is its “Bad Bosses Hotline,” which also generated media coverage.

At the same time as acting as a pressure group, the trade union has sought to act as a social partner with employers, in line with the European Union (EU) ...