Why Trade Unions are Important in HRM?
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Why Trade Unions are Important in HRM?
Introduction
Trade union, is an association of employees
who have united together to accomplish goals in areas such as salaries and
working conditions. The union negotiates agreements and conditions with bosses,
keeping employee satisfaction high and defending employees from dangerous or partial
working conditions.
Trade unions’ roles in and influence on the workplace are undisputable. They contribute to set up an industrial relation atmosphere, which permits HRM actions to happen. As a ‘collective voice’ representing organized employees within organization, unions air workplace differences for managerial consideration, therefore reducing turnover and refining confidence and collaboration (Deery, et al, 1999).
Functions of Trade Union
1. Militant
Functions
The aim of this
function is to certify acceptable salaries, secure better environments. When
the unions fail to accomplish these aims by the method of collective bargaining
and discussions, they adopt a method and put up a fight with the management in
the form of work slowly tactics, strike, boycott, etc.
2. Fraternal Functions
Unions aims at rendering help to its members in times of
need, and improving their efficiency. They take up welfare measures for
improving the self-confidence of workers and create self confidence among them.
3.
Social Functions
Organizing
welfare events and also providing variety of services to their members and occasionally
to the community of which they are a part.
4.
Political functions
These
functions include linking the union with a political party, serving the
political party in joining members, collecting donations, looking for the help
of political parties during the periods of strikes.
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Why Unions?
Teague et al (2012) propose that successful corporation would
have to encompass pre-existing collective bargaining practices, and management
would have to adjust their right to manage; basically, establishing a
partnership system with an element of oppositional actions and potential for
non-cooperation. Collaboration alongside informal opposition and resistance
within partnership specified a essentially pluralist view of partnership (Dundon
and Dobbins, 2016).
Global Context
Europe and Latin America, by exploring the
role played by trade unions have long traditions of collectivism, which offer
trade unions with social legitimacy and power (Morley et al. 1996), and also
the development of anti-union attitudes and insights in these continents.
Discussion
and Conclusion
There is still much debate how HRM and union
practices might be combined and applied. What cannot be denied is that the previous
has become progressively widespread as a way of soliciting the pledge and
support of employees in the direction of organizational goals and objectives.
References
Abbott, K. (2007) Employment Relations: Integrating Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management. Available at <https://www.businessperspectives.org> (Accessed on 07th August 2021)
Deery, S and Erwin, P. and Iverson, R (1999) Industrial Relations Climate, Attendance Behavior and the Role of Trade Unions
Dundon, T. and Dobbins, T. (2016). Militant partnership: a radical pluralist analysis of workforce dialectics. Work, Employment & Society. Advance online publication.
Available at <https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk> (Accessed on 07th August 2021)
Morley et al. (1996) PH regulation of connexin43: molecular analysis of the gating particle
Sharma, S.K. and Sharma, B. (2014) Human Resource Management and Trade Unions (HRMTU) Available at <http://www.ijtef.org/papers/346-N10002.pdf> (Accessed on 07th August 2021)
Teague, P., W. Roche & D. Hann (2012) “Toward a Strategic Theory on Workplace Conflict Management”, Ohio State Journal in Dispute Resolution, 24(1) 143-190
