TRADE UNION

Name: Sharon Mndez

W H AT I S A T R A D E U N I O N ?
Is an organization of workers who have come
together to achieve common goals such as protecting
the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards,
achieving higher pay and benefits such as health
care and retirement, increasing the number of
employees an employer assigns to complete the
work, and better working conditions.

Through its leadership, bargains with the employer on

behalf of union members and negotiates labour with
employers:
Negotiation of wages,
work rules,
complaint procedures,
rules governing hiring,
firing and promotion of workers,
benefits,
workplace safety and policies.

Craft
unionism

General
unionism

Industrial
unionism

Particular
section of
skilled workers

A cross-section
of workers
from various
trades

Organize all
workers within
a particular
industry

WHY DID TRADE UNIONS BORN?

The origins of trade unions can
be traced back to 18th century
Britain,
where
the
rapid
expansion of industrial society
then taking place, drew women,
children, rural workers, and
immigrants into the work force in
large numbers and in new roles

Ordinance
of
Labourers

Combinati
on Act

Philanthro
pic Society

Royal
Commissio
n on Trade
Unions

The start of
English
labour law

Prohibited
trade unions
and
collective
bargaining
by British
workers

the first
labour
organization
s to bring
together
workers of
divergent
occupations
when trade
unions were
still illegal

Trade
unions were
finally
legalized

1349

1799

1818

1872

The definition of
union density is
the proportion of
paid workers who
are union
members

CSE CTE CE
DO
C

Con
Con fede
fede raci
raci n
n
de
Sind Tra
ical baja
del
dore
Ecu s
ador Ecu
ator
iano
s

CE
DO
CU
T

CED
Con OC
fede CLA
raci T y
n
la
Ecu CED
ator OC
iana SOC
de
IALI
Obr STA.
eros
Cat
licos
.

CE
UGT
OSL E
TRADE UNIONS IN
ECUADOR

Con
fede
raci
n
Ecu
ator
iana
de
Org
aniz
acio
nes
Sind
ical
es
Libr

Uni
n
Gen
eral
de
Trab
ajad
ores

According to paragraph 9 of
Article 35 of the Constitucion
del Ecuador will "guarantee
the right of association of
workers and employers and
freely
without
prior
authorization
and
in
accordance with the law." Also
section
10
states
that
"recognizes and guarantees
the right of workers to strike
and employers to lock workers
in accordance with the law".

W O R L D F E D E R AT I O N O F T R A D E
UNIONS
Established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade
Unions.
Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a
single international organization.
After a number of Western trade unions left it in 1949, as a result of
disputes over support for the Marshall Plan, to form the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the WFTU was made up primarily
of unions affiliated with or sympathetic to Communist parties.
Portrayed as a Soviet front organization.

TRADE UNIONS
Objectives:
Representation (Workers Interests)
Negotiation (Collective Bargaining)
Voice in decisions (Lay off, Retrenchment)
affecting workers
Member Service (Education, Training, Welfare,
Discounts, Loans)

PU R P O S E O F T R A D E U N I O N S
Employment Protection and Job Creation.
Economic Protection.
Social Status - Identity.
Political Role - Democratic Institution
Societal Obligation - Transformation.
Competitiveness / Sustainable Development.

WHY DO PEOPLE JOIN UNION?

Greater Bargaining Power
Minimize Discrimination
Sense of Security
Sense of Participation
Sense of Belongingness
Platform for self expression
Betterment of relationships

M U LT I P L E U N I O N S : C A U S E S

Membership related Issues

Discontent
Leadership Related Issues
Avenues, intra union fights, leadership issues
Political Issues
Regional, Organizational Limitations
Legal

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF UNIONS

Wage & salary bargaining
Fight for continuous improvement in employee
benefits
Improving working conditions at work place
Improving welfare, healthcare & recreation
facilities, and leisure at workplace
Increasing rest periods, holidays, paid leave and
time-offs

I M P O R TA N C E O F T R A D E U N I O N S
For industrial peace
Decisions taken through the process of collective
bargaining and negotiations between employer and
unions are more influential
Effective communication between the workers and
the management

Economic development
Recruitment & selection
Discipline among workforce
Settlement of ID in rational manner

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF UNIONS

Decreasing working hours, work load esp. manual,
and hazardous working conditions
Improving career and salary rise prospects & job
security
Protecting employees against arbitrary / unjust
actions of Management

I M P O R TA N C E O F T R A D E U N I O N S
To Employees:

Members of the union tend to have

higher wages than non-unionized
workers.

To Employers:

Since the individual rights

of workers are better

Trade unions also sometimes act as

protected and well

representatives of workers in case of

represented, they tend to be

legal matters
The rights of the employees are

motivated. This results in

better protected. For example, they

higher levels of efficiency

cannot be unjustly removed from work.

and improved productivity.