What are the activities of trade unions

Most people are familiar with trade unions and at least part of what they do. Every time that there is strike on the news the union will be discussed. While arranging things like strikes is a part of what unions do it is far from the only thing. There are actually quite a few different things that unions do many of which occur behind the scenes and are not widely known.

The most important activity of trade unions is collective bargaining. By negotiating as a group the employees have more leverage in their dealings with their employers and are therefore able to get a better deal for their members. While a great deal of the bargaining centers on wages this is far from the only thing that they deal with. The union will also include working conditions in these negotiations which in many cases is more important than the agreements on wages. Over the years unions have dramatically improved things like worker safety and greatly reduced the hours that employees are expected to work.

Of course sometimes the negotiations between employers and the union does not go well and in these cases industrial action may be necessary. Most people believe that this means a strike but that is not necessarily true. There are other forms of industrial action that can be taken. This include things like a work slowdown or work to rule. These actions are usually only taken when negotiations have reached and impasse and further discussion seems unlikely to accomplish anything. In most cases industrial action hurts the members of the union as much as it does the employer so unions need to be very careful when the pursue this tactic.

One of the more important but less publicized actions of unions is that they provide a number of benefits to their members. This can include things like employee compensation insurance, or professional training. It may also cover things like legal advice when they need it. The union's job is to look after the best interests of its employees and part of this is through the many benefits that the union provides to its members.

These days most unions are very active politically. This is usually done with the intention of having laws passed that benefits workers. This political activity can include things like lending support to a particular candidate or actively running for office themselves. The largest part of their political activity however is to try to influence politicians to get their support behind the legislation that they are trying to get passed. Political activity on the part of trade unions has always been important but in most industrial countries it has really become the primary focus. This is mainly because of the fact that employers are very politically active themselves so it is necessary to counteract what they are doing.