Before Malaysia’s independence, the workers have started to form groups like unions to protect their rights and welfare. During the colonial economy when British came to Malaya, a lot of labours were imported from China and India. However, the wages of this growing group of imported employees were low and the working conditions were abysmal. In the late 1930s, labour unrest became one of the major concerns for employers. The welfare of the workers was not taken seriously by the employers and they decided to fight against it. By 1940, the situation became worse and the government introduced a legislation – Trade Union Enactment to solve the problem. However, there was the outbreak of World War II. The British forces withdrew from Malaya, and …show more content…
A mere nine per cent of the nation's 11 million workers are unionized and this figure is far from that of nations like Japan, the United Kingdom and Singapore.” From year 2005 until today, the population and the demand of labour were rising but the number of employees unionized was on a decline trend. This is a serious challenge faced by Malaysian Trade Union. One of the issues faced by Malaysian trade union is that some industries are virtually unrepresented by trade unions. Employees in these industries will not be protected by the trade unions. Besides, some of the unions are too small to be effective. The particular union will represent a lower bargaining power. Moreover, as the largest single contributor to exports in the Malaysian economy, the electronics industry has long been without any trade unions. This is a challenge faced by the employees and Malaysian trade unions. This is mainly cause by an historical ban on unionization in this industry from the 1970s to the early 1990s. “Malaysian electronics workers are not only abused but are not allowed to form unions to fight for their rights, says Malaysia's main labour group amid a report on widespread abuses in the country's key manufacturing sector.” – The Malaysian Insider 19 September, …show more content…
This shows that the importance of trade unions have become a greater concern for the employers and employees in the nation. More trade unions are formed to maintain the beneficial employer-employee relationships and protect the rights and welfare of the employees. Meanwhile, the total number of unionized employees also increased from 764,881 to 918,673 since 2001 until September of 2014. The awareness of the need of unionization has improved throughout the years. More employees join unions and embrace the rights they
As companies look to expand operations and hire new employees, many economic and environmental factors are taken into consideration. The cost of labor is one of the primary concerns as labor generally constitutes a large part of company budgets. The organization of labor by unions further increases this concern. The wages of unionized workers are significantly higher than the wages of nonunion workers in almost every industry (Fossum, 2012). Higher wages generally result in reduced company profits, lower share prices, and reduced shareholder returns (Fossum, 2012). Unionization also reduces the employer’s flexibility with regards to hiring, transferring, or promoting employees (Fossum, 2012). Productivity may be negatively impacted by unionization because merit is often eliminated as a criterion for wage increases or promotions (Fossum, 2012). As a result of these negative impacts, employers are motivated to oppose unionization.
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.
The union labor movement blossomed early in the century, as membership grew from 2.0 million members in 1910 to 18.0 million members in 1953. However, by 1980 membership was only slightly higher at 20.0 million members. During that time, membership growth was relatively consistent in that it never really declined a significant amount. After 1980, union membership began to decline sharply. In 1985 membership was already back down to 18 million members and by 1990, the number of union members was hovering near 16 million members. As a percentage of the total employment in the economy, unions grew from only 13% in 1935 to 32% in 1953 and have fallen steadily since 1955. In 1980, labor union roles had decreased to 23% and by 1990, the figure had shrunk ev...
Organized labor has seen a long and ever changing history in the United States. What began as minimal organized labor movement catapulted into astronomical union membership rates as the nation grew and developed. The intense power unions possessed only lasted so long and in the years since 1970, union membership in the United States has collapsed. This paper will examine the most significant reasons for the decline in membership. In brief, organizational redesigns, the development of technology and substantial public policy changes have all contributed to the drop in affiliation rates. In addition, policy suggestions will be provided in an attempt to support the continuation of the trend. Much of the research regarding this topic refers to unions consisting of unskilled labor however it is obvious that most members are individuals who are highly trained in a specific trade. Because of this, the terms unskilled labor and trade labor will be used interchangeably.
Unions have always been a pain in employers’ sides. From today to the 1910s, workers have tried to unionize for better conditions in their jobs. Today, people try to opt out of being in unions, avoiding the union’s dues but still reaping the rewards. That’s a long way away from what people experienced in the 1910s. During that time period, people were struggling to even be apart of a union.
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.
Labor Unions have been around for since the 1750’s. A union is “ a legally constituted group of individuals working together to achieve shared, job- related goals, including higher pay and shorting working hours ( Denisi Griffin 2015)”. Labor unions work with the employees to get the rights that they believe they deserve. The three laws that impacted unions was the Wagner Act of 1935, the Taft-Hartly Act, passed in 1947 and the Landrum Griffin Act of 1959. The Wagner Act was passed to help put unions “on equal footing as managers for rights of employees” (Denisi, Griffin, pg. 246). This law help to set up National Labor Relations Act and helps to administrate union laws. The Taft-Hartly Act of 1947 was passed to “limit union practices ( Denisi, Griffin, pg. 247) “and it also outlawed “closed shop (
The collective bargaining rights of the worker are disappearing at alarming rates. Data from the...
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.
According to the textbook, labor union are “group of individuals working together to achieve shared job-related goals” (P.331) . Mainly these shared job-related goals could be need for salary/wages increase,
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).
Unions have an extensive history of standing up for workers. They have advocated rights of steelworkers, coal miners, clothing factory employees, teachers, health care workers, and many others. The labor movement is based on the idea that organized workers as a group have more power than individuals would have on their own. The key purpose of any union is to negotiate contracts, making sure workers are respected and fairly compensated for their work. “In theory” unions are democratic organizations, resulting in varying inner authority. Workers look for security within a job a...
Tolich, P., & Harcourt, M. (1999). Why do people join unions? A case study of the New Zealand engineering, printing and manufacturing union. New Zealand Journal of Industrial Relations, 24(1), 63-73.
At this point in time, our company is non-union and believes the disadvantages of unionization to be greater than those benefits which may come from it. Many of the benefits which are supposed to come from unionization are canceled by various disadvantages. Additionally there are several, negative effects brought on by joining labor unions which should make any employee think long and hard before they begin the process of joining a union.
... Despite the negative effects that had brought bad impact to the country, it was also one of the things that have strengthened the country. It has provided an acceleration of development for the country. Conclusions References Works Cited http://prezi.com/ko92evamttlo/colonial-rule-and-impacts-in-sea/ http://www.marxist.com/malaysia-fifty-years-independence-part-one.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120320222600AAYZmN7 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090908024038AAH5Qw