Function of Trade Unions

The Function of Trade Unions

Trade unions have a number of functions, some of which have been more prominent than others at different periods in history. But over the course of time trade unions have developed five principal functions. These are respectively: a service function; a representation function; a regulatory function; a government function; and a public administration function. This paper examines these different functions and argues that the balance is shifting, with more emphasis being placed on service, governmental and public administration functions. We are witnessing the emergence of a new ‘supply side trade unionism’ with a corresponding dilution of their representative and regulatory functions. These developments—engineered by governments of both parties in recent years—are assessed in the context of the Warwick agreement in 2004 where the trade unions and the Labour Party concluded a deal on the shape of a possible third term Labour government. Handling Employee Grievances

Employee grievances are an unfortunate but constant reality in the workplace. As much as you would like to think you create an ideal work environment, your employees will always have individual conflicts from time-to-time. These conflicts can increase in an economic recession. Employees are under financial stress and may even fear losing their jobs. It is essential to address all grievances in a bad economy in order to keep employee productivity and morale high despite the slow business cycle. Be Accessible As a business owner, you will always be seen as the boss. This means your employees will not think of you as a friend. Most professionals agree this is actually a good thing, because you should maintain a level of distance between yourself and the rest of your employees in order to gain respect. However, making the gap too big can actually decrease employee morale. Instead, you should seek the balance between being a boss and being an accessible manager. This means coming out of your office and walking around the workplace. Make connections with your employees when you see the opportunity to do so. It is easy to want to handle all communications by email or online messages with today's technology, but face-to-face contact will make you a more accessible figure around the office. Share in your employee's accomplishments at work and at home by simply asking them how they are doing. You will find employees are more likely to be honest with you on the big issues if they connect with you on small issues. Create a System for Complaints Employees need to know the proper way to air grievances. If not, they will air them to whoever will listen. This form of complaining, through gossip or spreading bad news, will not help the morale in your office. Instead of tolerating this, ask your employees to address grievances directly through the system you have established. This system may create liaisons in the office who can be trusted to handle the issue discretely. Often, this is the human resource department in large offices. You may not have a dedicated human resource department, but you can still select employees you feel would be well-suited for the confidentiality required in this type of role. Department managers often serve as stand-in human resources representatives for their respective employees. Allow Employees to Take Ownership Successful business owners realize that most employee grievances can be resolved by empowering the employee to make the necessary change. For example, if an employee is having a problem with the current system of vacation requests, ask the employee for suggestions on how to change the system. You may find your low-level employees, who are the ones dealing with the policies you create, have a better suggestion than the managers who are not subject to the same policies. Many companies form task forces to deal with the most common grievances. This is particularly important in a bad economy. Some small business managers ask employees for suggestions on how to cut expenses and become more productive instead of laying people off. If you must put a hiring freeze or a pay freeze in place, allow your employees to talk about the concerns they have with the decision. You may find their concerns are different from those you anticipated. Ask them for suggestions on how to improve the situation. Document Grievances in Writing Handling grievances is important, but you cannot give into every single grievance or request that is made of you. This is particularly true when employees ask for raises in an economic recession. Sometimes, the profits just do not allow for the standard salary increases. Honesty is a good policy here, but you should also be looking out for the way your honest words could be misconstrued or used against you. Always document serious grievances in writing, whether they are financial or not. Once you have discussed the issue with an employee, have that person sign a document stating the situation was addressed to his or her satisfaction. This may seem excessive, but you will be thankful if you ever face a lawsuit with a disgruntled current or former employee. These files will be the only way you can prove in court that you are telling the story correctly.