Do Trade Unions Really Know Better?
(no. of words in essay)
559070
May 21, 2014
1
1 Introduction
According to the Univeristy and College Factsheet 01, trade unions are organizations that represents people at work. Trade unions aim to protect their members, increase their members' pay and improve their members' working conditions.
In South Africa, trade unions play an inevitable role in the country's economy. Since their existence, trade unions have been actively responding to the scal policies of government. Trade unions haven't always seen eye-to-eye with the manner in which the government has drawn up the national budget. Furthermore, unions believe that their proposals for the budget will stimulate economic growth and enhance job creation.
This essay aims to nd out how credible the above-mentioned beliefs on the unions' proposals are. How I intend to go about this is to review the
2013/2014 submission from a major trade union in South Africa, COSATU.
I will also provide a critical analysis (i.e. state the pros and cons) of each of its proposals. Lastly, I will determine whether or not this trade union's proposals on the national budget reinforce economic growth and economic inclusion. 2
2 Review Of COSATU's Statement On The 2013/2014 BuFor almost two decades now, COSATU has continuously raised it's concern that the scal and monetary policies adopted in this country have been in- appropriate, considering our very high levels of unemployment, inequalities and poverty.
The goal of business’s and labor unions is to make money for itself. But how can they do that and feel like both sides have the same advantage as the other? I propose that labor and business can best achieve their goals by making compromises with each other so that they can both reach an agreement they feel is fair. Those compromises could include cutting back on budgets and figuring out how business and labor could find a solution that could possibly benefit both, business and labor. Another compromise that business and labor could find a solution to is by not having their self-interest involved and making sure they don’t do anything that hurts the other. They do this by working together and following laws the government has for those types
Initially, the intent of labor unions was for employed workers to meet together and collectively agree on fundamental workplace objectives and goals. The rise of the union came about after the Civil War, in the United States- responding to the industrial economy boom. Following the war, labor unions finally reached public popularity within the 1930-1950’s, and then again began to slowly decrease, through the 1960’s and on to today’s times. Although, the popularity of labor unions has decreased, its importance remains to be evident with politics, journalism, auto, and the public education industries.
question. Students must consider factors and provide a rationale for which of these sets of ideas is of greater importance.
Organized labor affects the lives of many citizens everyday, often in a roundabout way. Labor Unions affect many different people from blue-collar workers to white-collar workers, stay-at-home moms, students, and retirees. Fewer; however realize the legal role Labor Unions have played and continue to play in the financial system, political affairs, and society in general. In today's society, more of our skilled hourly and unskilled workers belong to some sort of Labor Union and that is a good sign that Unions will not face extinction. As long as there is a need for higher wages, there will be a need for Unions.
The role of unions and their importance has changed over the years. A mixture of poor wages, high unemployment, non-existent benefits and insignificant professional stability amongst the more youthful era makes a ready demographic for restoration. The younger era is the slightest unionized section of our general public today by a long shot. Unions are important in today’s society because checks and balances are necessary entities in business and government, so if CEOs are just focusing on themselves and profits, unions are a necessary check to all that corporate power. Today and in the future, labor unions will continue to play an important role in our country 's work force and the quality of life for working families.
the good and bad points of each and trying to give examples of each other so that we have a better
Unions began forming in the mid of 19th century in response to the Industrial Revolution. The National Labor Union began to form in the post- Civil War Era. One of the major force emerged in the late of 1880’s was the Knights of Labor, which collapsed for the reason of weak organization.
First some disclosure about myself: my mother was a strong union member for General Motors for over 32 years where she held several different offices in the union. My stepfather was a member of the local iron workers union and then a member of the union at Tinker Field Airbase. When I got out of high school I worked at General Motors wishing I could join the union. Within a year of being out of school I hired on the fire department and joined their local union where I was a member for over 22 years. Needless to say I have a long history with labor unions and the benefits they provide. I know unions have done great things for our nation and have been a counterbalance to greedy companies that take advantage of
Litigation and Implication. Although Lewis & Lambert have not had any litigation regarding unfair labor practices, three counterparts in Local 68 have had allegations against them regarding Duty
Unions are incentivized for mobilizing citizens to engage in politics. Some join unions to gain employment. Most union members do not have prior political experience. Once they become a member, this begins to change as the union will teach the members political skills. Unions attempt to change the political identities of their members. One way they do this is by exposing their members to pro-labor situations. (Kerrissey, J., & Schofer, E., 2013) Unions are a partisan interest group that is in cooperation with the Democratic Party. This is as a result of the fact that Democrats are pro-labor and labor is the most important part of a union.
Working is a necessity for life. Everyone has to work in some way to get money so they can live. With work being such a universal thing, there are bound to be some issues with it. Unions have come into question about whether they are necessary or not. In my opinion, unions should stay a part of the workplace. They tend to bring workers together to make their lives better at work. Unions have many ways to get what they want from companies, and negotiating is the most common practice. The main functions of unions are to help organize workers and bargain. With organization, workers can fight for better wages, hours, and conditions.
A union is an organised group of workers whose aim is to protect their members and improve their employment conditions. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in August 2012, 20% of full time employees and 14% of part time employees were members of unions. Although this data shows a decrease in union membership over the last decade or so, the unions are still a very important part of the workplace.
What is the role of management and unions in society today? How has this changed in the last 100 years?
In the following paragraphs I will try to show you reason for all three opinions.
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).