Define trade union
Organisations that represent employees which seeks to organise and represent their interests in the workplace and society, regulate employment relationship through collective bargaining
State the trade union classification
- Occupational unions
- General unions
- Industrial unions
Explain occupational unions
Occupational unions are so called because their membership derives from employees in certain occupation.
State different types of occupational unions
- Craft
- Promotion
- Unskilled and semi-skilled
- White-collar and professional
What is a craft union?
Their concern for and protection of the skilled status of their membership craft unions found their power in the skill of their members and in their ability to restrict entrance to the craft which they represented.
- Their strength is in their members skills and being irreplaceable and not numbers
What is promotion unions?
- This type of union recruits among workers with a particular skill, but the skill is one that is achieved by on the job training and promotion rather than by an apprenticeship.
- The power base of promotion unions is the same a that of a craft union, the strategic importance and skill of the workers they represent.
Discuss unskilled and semi-skilled unions
- These union restrict their membership t so-called ‘lower level employees’
- Unions representing semi-skilled and unskilled workers do not have the strategic power of craft and promotion unions.
- Strength lies with numbers and not skills
Discuss white-collar and professional unions
- Most of these unions will organise only workers in a particular industry or sector
True or False
General unions aim to organise all employees, irrespective of sector, skill or occupation
True
Is general unions membership open to any employee?
Yes
What is the purpose of an industrial/sectoral union?
- To represent all the workers in a certain industry or, at least, as many workers as possible in that industry.
- Mainly out of need of unskilled and semi-skilled workers to also have representation
State the objectives of the trade union
- Higher and equitbable wages
- Job security
- Job regulation
- Protection from arbitrary and discriminatory action
- Training and development of members/employees
- Access to sustainable pension/provident funds
- A safe and healthy work environment and access to health care
- Reasonable working hours that contribute towards a work-life balance
- Equality in the workplace with regard to gender, parental and other rights
State the methods by which unions attempt to achieve their objectives (Different strategies_
- Collective bargaining with employees
- Collective action
- Representation and involvement in the undertaking
- Affiliations with other bodies
- Collective bargaining with government (strike)
- Representation on local, national and international bodies
- Representation on legislative and policy making bodies
- Political involvement
- Representation on benefit funds such as pension and medical aid
State the methods by which unions attempt to achieve their objectives by using power objective
- The solidarity of its membership (their willingness to engage in collective action)
- The depth and extent of its organization (the larger and better organized a union is, the more power will it wield)
- The skill and expertise of the negotiators
- The sympathy it gets from other bodies in both the labour relations and sociopolitical spheres
- Its ability to influence government, business or even international agencies
State the qualities of a good shop steward
- Have the respect and trust of the union, fellow-employees and management
- Be an effective communicator
- Be able to make independent, objective judgements and reach rapid decisions
- Be committed, diligent and fair-minded
- Be knowledgeable in union, employee and even management affairs
State the duties of a shop steward
- Recruiting new members
- Assisting and representing members in grievance and disciplinary procedures
- Consulting and negotiating with management on plant level matters
- Obtaining mandates from members before and during these negotiations
- Assisting with the organization of ballots such as strike ballots
- Ensuring that management adheres to wage and other agreements
- Organizing and attending union meetings at plant level and branch level
- Participating in workplace forums or committees
- Advising fellow-employees
- Advising fellow-employees
- Keeping employees informed of union policies and plans
- Keeping the union informed of the situation in the organization
- Collecting trade union dues
- Working at branch level
State the reasons for employer’s for forming/joining employers organization
- Balance the collective power of unions
- Standardize conditions of service in an industry
- Put wages out of competition (prevent unions from using agreements with one employer as a basis for better agreements with another)
- Have negotiations conducted by persons with expertise
- Have their interests represented at a macro-level
State the functions of employers organisation
- Provide a forum for the development of a coordinated strategy in dealing with organized labour
- Negotiate with unions for the purpose of standardizing minimum wages and conditions of service and procedures in an industry or sector
- Assist members by providing them with information in issues such as procedures, legislative changes, handling of labour action and administration of collective agreements
- Provide a coordinated system of employee benefits such as pension funds and medical aid schemes
- Coordinate training in the industry
- Lobby government to pass legislation which serves the interest of employers
- Liaise with trade union federations at centralized level over issues of national interest
- Engage the media as means of promoting support for the policies and position of the employers’ organization on various issues and also counteract any unfavourable publicity
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Unit1: Contextual analysis of the employment relationship68
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Unit 2: The labour Relations System as a Societal structure48
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Unit 3: Labour Legislation40
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Unit 3.3: Employees and Independent contractors10
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Unit 3.3: Substantive Act15
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Unit 3.5: The Employment Equity Act4
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Unit 539
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Unit 5.39
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Unit 5.48
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Unit 418
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Unit 612
