2.How Unions help Unsatisfied Employees

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by Chanika Janani Fernando


History of Unions

Labour unions have originated in Europe's industrial revolution of the eighteenth century. There was an enormous number of new employees at this time who required representation in the workplace (Union Plus (2015). In the United States, labour unions have a long history of organizing workers to fight for rights and protections granted to them, including minimum wage and shorter workdays. The first union was founded in 1794 by shoemakers in Philadelphia, and the first strike actually occurred before the American Revolution. (Investopedia. (n.d.).

                                                                  source:(libcom.org, 2018)

What are unions in an organization?

Unions are created when a group of people come together to work towards a common objective or for the welfare of the employees of an organization. A union is you and your fellow employees banding together to improve your position of employment. Every profession has its own union.

The majority of nations have laws governing union formation. Before organizing their workplace, workers must sign a union card giving the union the authority to represent them. Workers can file for a union election at a workplace once there are enough signatures on the petition. The union will be able to bargain on behalf of all employees with management if a majority of non-management workers support it. There are two different kinds of unions: the vertical union, which is made up of employees from different industries, and the horizontal union, where all members have a common skill.

                                                                 source: (Human Resources MBA, 2023)

How Do They Help Workers?

Together, union members and management negotiate and uphold a contract that ensures the benefits you value, such as reasonable pay raises, cost-effective health insurance, job security, and a predictable schedule. better working environments and conditions, free from retaliation fears (aflcio.org. (n.d.)

Employers and employees both contribute to the creation of economic value, but it can be difficult to determine how the capital owners and the employees will be divided. Owners of the capital tend to be wealthier and to wield more power than the individual employees; these instances have always tended to favor the capital owner. To balance this distribution in every sector of the economy, unions are created to protect workers from exploitation and to assist in obtaining benefits. When a conflict develops, unionized workers individually or in small groups still have the right to work directly with management to settle the issue or file a grievance, but they must act in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

Nonetheless, the agreement will frequently specify this or the workers will decide to involve a union representative in the conversation. The direct communication between small-business management and the union representative can actually facilitate the prompt resolution of conflicts, even though it may present difficulties in some situations to have a third party present during the discussions.

 
source: (YouTube: One Minute Economics,2019)

What Challenges Do Unions Pose for Human Resource Management?

The presence of labour unions has the potential to impact an organization's HR procedures. Human resources managers create hiring, wages, and benefit policies in the absence of unions based on their analysis and management's assessment of the company's needs.Grievances and performance concerns are settled directly between individual employees and human resources or line managers. When employees form a union, management is required to collaborate with the union to decide on policies and, occasionally, to settle disputes.

The advantages of a union are many. For their members, unions can bargain better pay, benefits, and working conditions. In general, union members enjoy greater job security than non-members. In addition, union members have the right to walk out if they believe their rights are being violated.

There are a few risks connected to unions at work. One is that a union might actually restrict what changes or adjustments the company can make to its workforce. A union, for instance, might fight against a company's desire to reduce its workforce, making it difficult or impossible for the company to do so. The government sector unions in Sri Lanka are the best illustration of this. Sine the government unions are work most of the time work for political Agenda the economy of a country is greatly impacted by trade union activity. Some unfair trade union behaviors that are carried out in Sri Lanka (Kusalakumara and Fernando, 2020). Additionally, unions can frequently be very expensive for businesses, both financially and in terms of lost productivity.

How do Labor Unions and HR Work Together?


                                                                        source: (Reward strategy, 2022)

One of the most crucial roles that human resources can play when labour unions and HR collaborate is communication, which is essential to good labour relations. HR can help to improve labour and management interaction and collaboration. Tensions between the two aren't always the result of management trying to deny workers benefits or rewards. For instance, policies that prohibit management from giving merit-based raises to specific employees may worry them. In order to ensure that management and labour are in good communication regarding their concerns and potential solutions, HR can play a significant role. 

HR can help both management and union representatives by setting up frequent meetings and providing advice.One of the keys to effective collaboration between labour unions and HR is identifying common goals. In the end, success for both employers and employees is beneficial. Together, labour unions and human resources can accomplish successes that neither would be as likely to accomplish alone.

List Of References

aflcio.org. (n.d.). What Unions Do | AFL-CIO. [online] Available at: https://aflcio.org/what-unions-do#:~:text=Union%20members%20work%20together%20to.

Kusalakumara, J. and Fernando (2020). Trade Unions and Their Impact on Productivity: A Review of Sri Lankan Context from 1995 to 2015. Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management, [online] 10(2). Available at: https://mgt.sjp.ac.lk/hrm/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4748-13323-1-PB.pdf [Accessed 22 Oct. 2023].

Union Plus (2015). A Brief History of Unions. [online] Unionplus.org. Available at: https://www.unionplus.org/page/brief-history-unions [Accessed 28 Oct. 2023].

Investopedia. (n.d.). Labor Union: Definition, History, and Examples. [online] Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/labor-union.asp#:~:text=Unions%20organized%20by%20workers%20to [Accessed 28 Oct. 2023].

Liberto, D. (2022). Organized Labor Definition. [online] Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/organizedlabor.asp. [Accessed 29 Oct. 2023].








Comments

  1. Madusha Dilrukshi HettiarachchiDecember 5, 2023 at 5:21 AM

    Impactful article. There are pros and cons of the unions.
    The increase in industrial action in recent times highlights the criticality of companies and human resource professionals collaborating effectively with trade unions. Everything from train services to mail delivery and medical treatment has been limited by strikes, and more action is expected in the upcoming weeks with teacher voting strikes and additional rail strikes scheduled.
    The union emphasizes the crucial areas in which an organization should acknowledge that workers have a legal right to collective consultation in a variety of employment-related situations, including health and safety at work, business ownership transfers, collective redundancies, and changes to pension plans.
    Unions should ideally provide people experts with advice on forging solid bonds and engaging in positive discussions with trade unions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chanika Janani FernandoDecember 20, 2023 at 6:47 AM

      I appreciate your comments. I'm delighted that the article had an impact on you. The discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of unions as well as the rise in industrial action highlights the intricate dynamics at work. Navigating these challenges requires cooperation between businesses, HR specialists, and trade unions. The conversation is made more in-depth by your emphasis on the legal rights of employees in a variety of employment-related circumstances and the function of unions in offering guidance for constructive engagement.

      Delete
  2. Hashanka Gunasekara - HR360December 20, 2023 at 9:30 AM

    Very valuable content since forming unions and how it has helped for employees. However, some organizations restrict forming and joining employee unions. Instead of the unions they have provided channels to raise employee concerns. From experience most of the time BPO companies provide platforms to raise concerns anonymous way. What would you think will this method effective as unions? My personnel view, not effective as unions.

    ReplyDelete

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