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Evoulution of Trade Unions in the 21st Century

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A trade union is defined by Smith (2008) as an independent self-regulating organization of workers created to protect and advance the interests of its members through collective action. Trade unions were of course very important once upon a time, but their job has been done. The age of mass production is over. The new world is all about individual relationships, and unions will wither away. “A glorious past perhaps, but no real future” says Jacob (2008). There was at least some evidence to support that view. Union membership had fallen every year from its post war peak in 1980. The government had cut unions almost entirely out of the political loop, and their electoral strategists were still convinced that attacking unions was a vote …show more content…

Occasionally disagreements do occur, and in these cases the union may decide to take industrial action. If the problem cannot be resolved amicably, the matter may go to an industrial tribunal. The purpose of industrial tribunals is to make sure that employee and employers conform to employment laws. They are made up of people outside the workplace who make a judgment about the case, based on the employees and employers point of view. Cases that go to industrial tribunals are usually about pay, unfair dismissal, redundancy or discrimination at work. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) is often used to help find a solution to a dispute, which is acceptable to both sides. Its duty under the Employment Protection Act is to promote the improvement of industrial relations and in particular to encourage the extension of collective bargaining and also to develop collective bargaining machinery (Mclean, 2007). Its main functions are: advisory work, collective conciliation, individual conciliation, arbitration, and extended investigation into industrial relations problems. Individuals can be represented by trade unions when they encounter problems at work. If an employee feels that they are being unfairly treated, he or she can ask the union representative to help sort out the difficulty with the manager or employer. Apart from negotiation and representation, many other benefits can be gained by joining

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