What do Unions do?

Unitary view, pluralist/insitutionalist view, radical/critical view

The organisation is a community of interests/team. Mangaers act in the best interests of their employees and employees whpo conest decisons are disloyal and dishonourable

Different interests but compromise can be achieved by employees giving up autonomy and recognising and managerial perogatives and managers recognising their worker's rights to organise. Collective bargaining between unions and management is a conlfict managemnt tool and the state is just one of many actors involved.

Diversity of interests between the parties involved in the employment relationship. It is a structurally unequal relationship and there is a power imbalance. Settlement depends on the power of some groups to impose outcomes on other. The state is a crucial actor in industrial relations

A difference in desired outcomes between parties which can translate into behaviour. Each party in the employemnt relationship depends on each other whilst having divergent wants

Continuous associations of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment

Provisions of financial benefits to their members

Pressure on governments for favourable legislative action

Unions give a collective voice to employees

Strikes to improve wages and working conditions and first labout associations, repressive response of the state (The Combination Act (1800-1824) made strike action illegal and restricted unions' activities since 1825 and Tolpuddle Martyrs deported to Australia)

Trade unions become mass organisations and are legalised, together with strike action, foundation of Trade Union Congress, achievement of eight-hour day by the Gas Workers and General Labour Unions

Strong unions, national level and workplace collective agreemnt setting high wages, permannent employment and good working conditions, union statutory presence on tripartite bodies, state intervention in the economy and increase of welfare state, legislation in favout of labour (Contract Employment Act (1963) and Equal Pay Act (1970))

Inflation, declining productivity, unoffical strikes. Under the Thatcher government (1979-1990), there was the abolition or weakening of tripartite bodies and of national-sectoral collective bargaining, abolition of closed shop and legal requiremnt for ballots, major strike defeats

1998 National Minimum Wage, legislation protecting employees mainly comes from the EU: equal treatment for temp workers, working time directive, parental leave. Collective bargaining coverage and union density below 30% and mainly concentrated in the public sector. Trade Union Act (2016) poses new restrictions on pickets and campaining and sets requirements of 50% turnout in unions ballots to call strike action

Focus on increasing wages for members and on negotiating the rules for determining wages and working conditions

Unions as legitimate 'social partners' in negotiations at company/sector/national level

Strong political identity, agents of class struggles militancy

High union density in Scandanavian countries is due to the association between unemployment insurance and union membership (Ghent system). In France, participation in union election and strike participation is a better indicator for union activism than membership. In other countries, unemployed and pensioners might be union members

A method of agreeing work conditions and rewards through negotiations between employer representatives and the representatives of collectively organised employees. For employers there are lower transaction costs, a level-playing field and the channeling of conflict

Unions might bargain with employers' association at sectoral level (centralised bargaining) or with employers at company level (decentralised bargaining) which is often associated with lower coverage. The coverage of collective bargaining might correspond with to union density because agreements are negotiated in the workplace and not extended

Collective Bargaining leads to rigidities which prevent labout markets to work at their best

Higher unemployment, more low-wage precarious jobs, gretaer inequality

The extent to which the sectoral or firm-level agreements are coordinated with each other

When collective bargaining takes place at sectoral level

Unionised manufacturing jobs are disappearing

Less attachemnt to the workplace

National agreements become less effective