- Equality issues that trade unions should address
Promotion of equality at the work place is one of the key functions of trade unions. The main priorities that trade unions bargain on are pay packages that are offered to workers and the terms and conditions under which the workers carry out their duties. The framework that governs the employer regulation has been strengthened over in the years in countries such the United Kingdom, United States of America and Denmark; it is often the prerogative of the employers to interpret the statute law. The trade unions are a powerful force that can bargain on behalf of the workers in addition to offering a different perspective on the interpretation of the statute law. Trade unions broaden the initiatives on equality that are undertaken by employers in order to ensure that they are in line with principles of social justices as well as sound business practices. They also ensure that the statute laws have tangible effects when effected in addition to negotiating for the improvement of the statute laws to ensure adequate representation of the employees.
One of the areas that trade unions are involved is the negotiation of better pay for workers. Trade unions are involved in the negotiation for better pay for workers, better procedures for job evaluation and promotion, improvement of women’s access to better pay, improvement of the pay offered to workers who from the minority groups. In terms of the improvement of pay, they often negotiate for salary increments and better allowances for the workers. In order to successfully negotiate for better pay, trade union representatives not only meet with the industry players but they also conduct training sessions in order to sensitize the industry players on the need for better pay packages for the workers in addition improved procedures for job evaluation and promotion. It has been found that most union representatives are involved in bargaining for better pay for the workers due to personal commitment to social justice. Knowledge of the rights of workers also serves as a strong motivator for trade union representatives to be involved in bargaining for better pay for the workforce. Union representatives who have a strong backing are also more likely to be involved in negotiations for better pay for the workers. Union representatives often require motivation and support which can be in the form of strong commitment from the colleagues in the union.
According to research that was conducted recently, unions play a critical role in resolving workplace disputes in a manner that is more efficient and amicable. It has been found that during disciplinary hearings at the work place, unions that operate autonomously play a critical role in ensuring that the dispute is resolved is a highly skillful manner. The skill and expertise exercised by union representatives was found to be much greater than that of non union workers. Managers have also indicated in surveys that the inclusion of union representatives during disciplinary hearings was responsible for ensuring that the right procedures were carried out in addition to enhancing the efficiency during the procedural hearings. Union representatives are often more inclined to taking a conciliatory approach rather than an antagonistic approach during disciplinary hearings. One study revealed that over 50% of the union representatives who were surveyed would opt for a compromise solution that is inclined towards being fair to the employee at any cost.
However, the role of unions in dispute resolution and in the workplace has been on a sharp decline over the past 30 years. There has been a sharp decline in the involvement of trade unions due to the fact that employers often prefer non union voices as compared to union based voices. In spite of this preference taking root, research indicates non union representation often produce limited benefits for the management in terms of productivity.
Trade unions also play a critical role in enhancing gender equality at the work place. This entails the promotion of equal opportunities for women, equal pay for women, championing for training of managers and CEO’s on gender equality in addition to pressurizing the employers to correct any imbalances that exist at the work place. Most unions in the United Kingdom have programs on training workers on the importance of exercising gender equality at work but the duration of the training varies from one union to another one. Interviews with trade union officials in the United Kingdom revealed that the unions have adopted various strategies in order to improve the representation of women at the workplace. It was found that in some of the union the membership of the unions was a representation of the social groups that are found at the workplace. In such instances, equality is not only a tool to promote women’s participation, presence and recognition at the work place but also improve the access that women have to the unions. From the interviews it also emerged that three of the largest trade union groups have offices that are dedicated to promoting equality and setting up of initiatives that promote initiatives on equality.
It must however be noted that the efforts by the trade unions to articulate for gender equality at the work place have been a challenge. In the survey that was conducted in the UK, it was found that the political and economic climate has been a challenge in the quest for gender equality. Union officials who were interviewed said that they often met resistance from white male employers who wish to continue with the male dominance of the workplace. In addition to this, white male activists resent the activities of the trade unions geared towards promoting equality. Research also indicates that efforts to fight for equality are further hampered by the declining number of employees who are unionized. In 2010, the number of unionized workers stood at 27% which represents a 3% decline as from 2000.
Minority racial groups often have to contend with discrimination at the work place. The minority groups include Asians, Latinos and Africans. For instance, during the Civil Rights movement in United States of America, the African Americans often had to work under poor conditions for longer hours with poor pay. Currently USA and the UK are experiencing a great influx of workers from Latin America, Asia and Africa. Cases of racial discrimination at the workplace continue to be rampant. Some of the complaints include: poor wages, wrongful dismissal, lack of access to proper medical care, preference of whites over other races when it comes to promotion and allocation of duties. Trade unions have carry out sensitization activities geared towards promoting better working conditions for minority groups in addition to offering minority groups representation at the unions. These efforts have bore fruit but progress has been slow due to the resistance they often meet from the employers. In addition to this, most employees from minority groups are often unskilled, illegal immigrants who work on a temporary basis for different companies. It is therefore difficult for them to have access to union representation for fear that they might be repatriated back to their countries of origin.
- Union attempts to fight for equality and the success rate
In a survey of 19 unions that was carried out in the United Kingdom which in order to determine their efforts to bargain for equal pay and their success rate. The union representatives who were interviewed were asked about their participation in negotiating for the following: changes such as regarding and granting women pay supplements, promoting the training of women in order to enhance their chances of accessing jobs with higher pay, promoting greater participation of lay workers and female workers in the pay setting. These items were included in the survey in order to reflect the areas in which pay discrimination takes place and as a measure of the efforts of union representatives to avert this situation. Based on the results of the survey, it emerged that trade union representatives who were surveyed were fairly involved in negotiation for equality and better pay. About 50% of the surveyed union representatives were involved in negotiation for at least a third or most of the items that were chosen as a measure of trade unions effort to fight against pay discrimination. 75% of the union representatives who were interviewed said that they had negotiated for at least one of the items that were mentioned before in regard to ending pay discrimination. The results show that the success rates in negotiation for better pay are fair. This point to wavering commitment to fight pay discrimination in spite the fact fighting for better pay ranks highly in the agenda of the trade unions.
- Factors that explain variation in equality bargaining between unions
During a survey of 19 trade unions which was carried out in the United Kingdom, it was found that some union representatives were extremely involved in pay negotiations while others did not take part at all. This variation is attributed to the following factors: to begin with, many trade unions regard women’s issues as secondary and often neglect these issues. This situation is only corrected when the unions are under pressure and are facing a decline in membership. Pressure that the unions experience may be twofold: It could be at the national level hence the national union officials will pressurize local trade unions to focus more on bargaining on behalf of the women. It could also be that the decrease in the union membership at the local level will force the local unions to examine their activities hence incline their focus in bargaining on women’s issues.
The models of the unions also contribute the variation. In unions where the bargaining for equality is decentralized, the agenda is subject to pressure from women members hence the frequency of bargaining for equality is likely to increased in such cases. On the other hand, bargaining at the local level is often directed by narrow minded male representatives. In the recent times, there has been a shift in equality bargaining towards multi employer bargaining. This could be attributed to the fact centralized bargaining can be shaped by national union leader who in turn are under duress to be involved in articulation of women’s issues.
The structure of bargaining is also influenced by the management structure and organizational structure of the employers. The policies instituted by the employers provide a context for equality bargaining hence they can serve as an opportunity to advance the trade union negotiations or hamper the negotiations. The public sector has been termed as a “model” employer given that it allows for negotiations on equality to be carried out. Some private companies also have a policy on equality hence providing an opportunity for successful negotiations on equality to be carried out.
- Characteristics of union officials
In a survey of 19 trade unions in the United Kingdom, the researcher sought to establish the relationship between characteristics of the trade union representatives and their involvement in equality bargaining. It was found that women were more likely to be more involved in bargaining for equality as compared to men. In addition to this, the level of formal education was also found to be a strong determinant of whether a union official would be involved in bargaining for equality or not. The results also indicated that there is no generational involvement between bargaining for equality and age. The age of the trade unionists was not found to be among the contributing factors that determine the involvement of the trade unionists in bargaining for equality.
It was found that strong associations were a strong influence on the trade unionists in their involvement in bargaining for equality. Stronger association enhance commitment and exert influence on trade unionists who may be reluctant to be involved in equality bargaining. During the survey, over 70% of the union officials reported that there was some influence from their associations that shaped their role in equality bargaining. They also reported that “they enjoyed a great deal of discretion” in setting the agenda for collective bargaining. Therefore having variable commitment towards equality bargaining among the officers in a trade union can be an important factor. In addition to this, having some level of interest in equality bargaining shapes the behavior of the trade union representatives.
Having support from the wider union is also a determinant of involvement in negotiation for equality. During this survey, it was found that slightly below 66% of the union officials who were surveyed received strong support from the wider union. This shaped their decision to participate in equality bargaining. Participation in training in equality is a reflection of the preferences of the union officials in addition to being a reflection of union policy since some unions make such training a mandatory requirement.
In conclusion, the research showed that the participation of the union officials was to a large extent shaped by commitment, strong association and personal preference. The results also indicated that the women were more inclined towards participating in equality bargaining as compared to men. However, commitment which can be enhanced through stronger association, training and advice was found to be a greater indicator of participation in equality bargaining. The results also show that support from the wider network in the union can improve a trade unionist’s commitment to equality training. It is therefore critical that the union representatives play an active role in shaping the agenda on equality bargaining.
- The role of unions in enhancing diversity at the work place
Trade unions are often more recognized for the role they play in promoting equality while neglecting the role they play in promoting diversity. There is little understanding on the role that trade unions play in promoting diversity and the initiatives that they have set up in order to do. In the management of diversity, the central theme is that individual themes ought to be rewarded and promoted rather than being stifled and denied an opportunity to come to the fore. Policies on diversity at the work place move away from issues such as race and gender and are geared towards the inclusion of aspects such work styles of individual. Diversity is based on the traditional school of thought on equality which states that equality has no place in a competitive business world. Diversity is therefore viewed as a critical factor in promoting the success of an organization.
In the recent times, diversity in the work place has formed part of the arguments advanced by trade unionists when discussing on equality at the work place. A survey of trade unionists revealed that while they were at the forefront of championing for equal opportunities for all races at the workplace, they recognize that there are differences within the social groups. During the survey, one of the respondents expressed a positive attitude towards promoting diversity; a representation of views that are held by other trade unionists. As a product of the positive attitude that trade unionists have towards promoting diversity in the work place, they are often involved in representing individual cases especially in the current context where collective bargaining is slowly diminishing.
However, from a trade unionists’ view promoting diversity can also prove to detrimental to their cause given that the individual’s unique set of qualities are emphasized at the expense of the similarities with other workers. Based on the lessons that are drawn from individual hearing or tribunals, the trade unions can negotiate for collective agreements. For instance, a collective agreement for the disabled has in the past been negotiated based on the lessons learnt from the individual tribunal of a disabled worker. Therefore the diversity at the work place is a part of the “jigsaw” that makes up the collective dimensions and gains which in the trade union context can be used to build up on the campaign for equality at the workplace.
On the other hand, it may also be argued that promoting diversity through trade unions can prove to be detrimental to the cause of the trade unions. This is because; diversity focuses on the individual differences at the expense of the commonalities among the workers. This can therefore weaken the cause for equality. The emphasis on individual differences may also serve as a means for promoting the dominance of a particular group on the basis of their collective individual differences. Those who are termed as different may use it as a basis for getting preferential treatment therefore undermining equality bargaining. Those who do not fit the criteria of being different could be treated differently by those who are deemed as different hence promoting segregation and inequalities at the work place.
Trade unions can also play a role in promoting diversity by being involved in solving conflicts and dilemmas at the work place. Conflicts at the work place are often as a result of individual differences which are a critical component of the diverse nature of the work place. By being part of the solution when conflict arises, trade unions ensure that individual differences are recognized and promoted but they should not be allowed to be a source of division within the workforce.
In conclusion, trade unions are a powerful tool for promoting equality and diversity at the work place. In the promotion of equality, it is important for the trade unionists to receive training and support from the wider network of unions. In promoting diversity, the trade unionists need to strike a balance between promoting individual differences and equality.
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