TRADE UNIONS

Question 1

What is EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT:

Answer 1

The extent to which employees are involved with making strategic organisational decisions.

Question 2

What is an example of employee involvement

Answer 2

Setting corporate objectives (are workers told the corporate objectives, or are they consulted and included in the decision of the corporate objectives)

Setting strategy to achieve objectives (are workers apart of planning the strategy, or are they told what the strategy is)

Involvement in workforce planning (are employees involved in the creation of the workforce plan or not)

Question 3

What are trade unions

Answer 3

Trade unions are usually national organisations whose role is to represent the interest of employees in a particular industry.

Question 4

What are examples of trade unions

Answer 4

National union of teachers (NUT)
Fire brigade union (FBU)
National union of journalists (NUJ)
Association of locomotive engineers and firemen (ASLEF)
General and municipal workers union

Question 5

What is the role of a trade union

Answer 5

Advice - employment law, disputes with management - you pay a monthly fee to be a member of that union.

Representation - of individual employees is disputes

Negotiation - collective bargaining on behalf of all members

Question 6

What is Industrial Action

Answer 6

Strikes

Work to rule - Trade unions can encourage people to follow their contract (following their contract 1-1)

Go slow: Employees purposely going slower than usual to reduce productivity

Overtime ban - Workers turn up and do their job, but they’re not going to do anything more than that (they won’t exceed the hours in their contract)

Question 7

How do trade unions benefit businesses

Answer 7

Provides a means of negotiation with one representative, rather than many employees (time saving)

Increases morale and worker confidence (if they feel that they’re being strongly represented by their union)

Improves communication with workforce

Question 8

What are the costs of trade unions fir a business

Answer 8

Strikes and industrial disputes (lost output and production)

Lost output and production

Time consuming

Impact on reputation

Question 9

What are the benefits of trade unions for employees

Answer 9

Collective bargaining is more powerful that individual bargaining

Allows experts to conduct negotiations

Union can communicate with other stakeholders

May improve relations with management through better communication