The Privatisation Programme as Challenge to Trade Unions
A major change and challenge for trade unions in the past 20 years has
been the privatisation programme. This has affected public sector
workers in particular. Under privatisation, some nationalised
industries and some aspects of what had been local government services
were sold off or contracted out as separate entities. As a result,
many employees found themselves working for a new and very different
employer and the prospect of a new contract of employment and revised
conditions of service.
In such situations, a trade union like UNISON is greatly needed.
The change of ownership from public to private can lead to big changes
in approach as to how a business is run. Private businesses pursue
profit, and look for opportunities to save money by cutting costs. One
of UNISON's key jobs has been to try to make sure that the new
employers respect and honour employees' existing pay and conditions eg
holiday entitlement, pension rights, maternity leave. This can be hard
going.
Some private sector employers are less approachable and less willing
to find common ground than others. With profits and shareholders in
mind, they can be tempted to look for ways to cut earnings; lengthen
working hours, shed jobs; abandon pension and sickness benefits; lower
safety standards to the legal minimum etc. Trade unions encourage
employers to resist such a temptation.
For public service workers, matters such as pay and conditions of
service were negotiated centrally through a process called 'collective
bargaining'. The resulting agreement was then operated nationally; all
workers doing the same job across the UK were covered by it.
In the private sector, there tends to be less enthusiasm for
collective bargaining and for national agreements. Some hospitals and
some schools, for example, are keen to move to negotiating pay and
conditions at regional level, and even at 'workplace level'.
Many women in particular prefer to work part-time during at least some
stage of their working lives. In recent years, trade unions have
To conclude this analysis on the basis of the labor’s extensive history, Sloane & Witney (2010) propose, “it is entirely possible that labor’s remarkable staying power has been because of the simple fact that to many workers, from the nineteenth century to the present, there really has been no acceptable substitute for collective bargaining as a means of maintaining and improving employment conditions” (p.80). In the end, it is important to anticipate unions and employers presently work together to find solutions that will enhance collective bargaining strategies and practices to serve the interest of both parties.
Throughout the history of the United States of America the continuation of misfortunes for the workforce has aggravated people to their apex, eventually leading to the development of labor unions.
Generally, the claims by the union are more persuasive than the counterclaims that were made by the company. This is because the union had credible arguments relating to the actual difficulties that the people were experiencing. For instance, the Union charged those who targeted the company through inappropriate labor approaches.
Wallerstein, M. & Western, B. 2000. Unions in Decline? What Has Changed and Why? Annual Review of Political Science. 3: 355-377.
Key events in the history of labor unions such as the Homestead Strike, Haymarket Square Riot, and Pullman Strike have largely impacted union memberships. The passing of federal laws have also impacted union memberships. Additionally, federal laws have been enacted throughout the years that protect both employers and employees. These laws along with the labor relations, technological advances and globalization have greatly helped shape Human Resources into what it is today.
Factories were known for their ill treatment of their employees, long hours and dirty and unsafe conditions. In 1866, unions started to form to improve working conditions for the workers. A fundamental problem faced by democratic societies is as long as people live their lives individually and go their separate ways and be selfish individuals, they are unlikely to meet collectively to resolve issues. There needs to be meaningful unity among people to alleviate this problem to get people obliged to one another, so there is a willingness to sacrifice for shared goals. Bonding of its citizens creates a democracy. Unions seemed to offer the middle class a chance to become a crucial part of fostering institutions of constitutional democracy. The unions have went through several transitions, but have always worked for the working force. I will discuss the history of the various unions, their wins and losses, and the struggle of the employee to achieve democracy in the workplace.
“Unions are about collective leverage, the power of numbers versus the power of capital” - Canadian entrepreneur, Kevin O’Leary. The American workplace has not always provided protections for employees. Until the early 20th century business owners held all of the power in the employee/employer relationship. Workers were subjected to extremely long hours, low wages and dangerous working conditions, with no recourse or protections. Organized labor over the last century challenged the position and power of employers and lobbied the government to create laws and policies that would protect workers and create safer working environments for employees. The majority of policies that today’s average employee takes for granted, such as the eight
Labor Unions have had an effect of American history as well as world-wide history from the time they became popular. Following WWII Americans were predominantly pro-labor, however, as time went on union’s credibility fell short of perfect. Union strikes proved to be bothersome to both the general public and company. Unions were also suppressing to employees through fraud and lack of worker rights (in earlier years, before Acts were passed). Although Union labor had its shortcomings, this type of labor is noted to be the most productive and economically beneficial. With both sides shown, I feel Unions will again thrive in the future with a few key adjustments made.
Labor unions were established as a way for workers’ needs and grievances to be heard by management. According to Fossum (2012), “forming a union creates a collective voice to influence change at work” (p. 7). The collective voice of workers in a union holds much more power than any single employee’s voice. It can loudly draw attention to mistreatment or abuse of workers. The organized collective voice of workers demands to be treated in a fair way by its management in terms of wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions.
Horrible working conditions in factories have been around since the industrialization era. Although most conditions have changed for majority of the industries, the meat packing industry has yet to experience these improvements. Fast Food Nation publicizes the problems for the employees inside meat packing plants. The affects of the terrible working conditions that employees are put in due to careless employers are shown in Fast Food Nation, which can be addressed by stronger labor unions.
Throughout American history, labor unions have served to facilitate mediation between workers and employers. Workers seek to negotiate with employers for more control over their labor and its fruits. “A labor union can best be defined as an organization that exists for the purpose of representing its members to their employers regarding wages and terms and conditions of employment” (Hunter). Labor unions’ principal objectives are to increase wages, shorten work days, achieve greater benefits, and improve working conditions. Despite these goals, the early years of union formation were characterized by difficulties (Hunter).
The labor union movement over the years has shaped the way individuals work and live for both the nicest and unpleasant. Some would think the unions influence has created a power struggle between management and union leaders. In today’s time, some citizens insist the existence of unions are a must to aid in employee freedom, while others view the labor unions as just another problem in the line of progress. The purpose of labor unions was for employed workers to come together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War- responding to the industrial economy. Surprisingly at the least unions became popular within the 1930-50’s and began to slowly decrease, starting in the 1960’s on to today. Although, the popularity of labor unions has decreased, its importance remains to be evident with politics, journalism, auto, and the public education industries. The objective of this paper is to shine light upon labor unions, taking a closer look at the disputed issues of union ethics, concerns of union diversity, and the opposing viewpoints of labor unions.
In the past, workers worked long hours in the worst of working conditions six days a week with little pay. Now a days, that is unheard of, and illegal. Unions have contributed much to eliminate all of the injustices in the labor force. Unions have advocated for labor laws and regulations that protect workers in the labor force. As a result, the National Labor Relations Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act were passed. Unions act as the voice of the workers by identifying where laws and regulations are needed. According to the article “Unions Today” on UnionPlus.com, “Employers are trying to shred responsibility for providing health insurance, good pensions coverage, reasonable work hours and job safety protections”. Employers these days are trying to get away with not having to pay for health benefits for their employees, especially now that Obamacare is in effect. This is affecting workers today because people are losing their jobs or are given less hours, therefore making it hard for them sustain themselves or a family. In today’s economy prices are only going up, so having a job is necessary. With unions, Americans can demand better pay and more work hours f...
The laws and regulations surrounding Industrial Relations since the 1900’s have, at each reform, placed tighter constraints on the amount of power unions are able to exert. The reforms have also radically increased managerial prerogative, through an increased use of individual bargaining, contracts and restrictions imposed on unions (Bray and Waring, 2006). Bray and W...
Traditional literature in the field of labor relations has focused immensely on its benefit towards the employer and in the process equating it to working rules. This has been so despite the field being expected to cover the process of, labor management, union formation, and collective bargain; all which are anticipated to create a positive employer-employee relationship. This relationship is said to be positive if there exist a balance between employment functions and the rights of the laborer. Also important to note, is that this relation is equally important to the public sector as it is to the private one. Therefore, to ensure a mutually conducive labor environment exists, effective labor management process and inclusive negotiation program should be adopted (Mulve 2006; Walton, 2008).