By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Start Your Business Magazine
  • Store
    Merchandise
    Subscribe
  • Features

    Grow, expand and leverage your business..

    Grow your start up business with our experts and industry insiders…

    Get Started

    Quick Links

    • Agenda
    • Business Books
    • Marketing
    • Technology
    • Wellbeing
    • Finance
    Reading: Trade unions

    Our Newsletters

    Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalise your experience with our site..

    Read our privacy policy for more information.
  • Book
  • Trending
    Technology

    Five dangers of oversharing on social media

    Nearly 85% of adults globally want to do more to protect their online…

    Technology

    How to make your online presence more sustainable

    With the threat of climate change growing larger each day, individuals and…

    Uncategorized

    Promotional Products That Boost Visibility and Loyalty

    In a world filled with digital noise, tangible, branded merchandise stands out…

  • Topics

    Topics

    • Agenda
    • Blogs
    • Book Review
    • Business Advice
    • eCommerce
    • SME Update
    Reading: Trade unions
    • Events
    • Business Experts
    • Featured
    • Franchise
    • Growing Business
    • Health
    Reading: Trade unions
    • Finance
    • Franchise Experts
    • How To
    • Interviews
    • Just for fun
    Reading: Trade unions
    • Lifestyle
    • Making money
    • Manufacturing
    • Marketing
    • Money
    • Property
    Reading: Trade unions
    • Starting Up
    • Taxation
    • Technology
    • Wellbeing
    • Women in Business
    Reading: Trade unions
Reading: Trade unions
Connect
Start Your Business MagazineStart Your Business Magazine
Aa
  • Magazine
  • SEO – Backlinks
  • Book: Start Your Business
Search
  • Agenda
  • Book Review
  • Blogs
  • Finance
  • Growing Business
  • How To
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • SME Update
  • Starting Up
  • Technology
  • Wellness
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing
  • SEO
Copyright © 2014-2023 Ruby Theme Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Trade unions

Start Your Business
agenda
Share
8 Min Read

What are trade unions and how do they impact your career?

With many employees taking strike action, including the likes of the NHS ambulance service workers and Royal Mail employees, it’s come to light how important trade unions are. In fact, strikes by BT back in the summer led to conversations between their trade union and BT themselves, resulting in a pay rise for staff.

Contents
What are trade unions and how do they impact your career?What is a trade union?How does a trade union get recognised?What are the benefits of joining a trade union?What are the disadvantages of joining a trade union?

No matter what industry you’re working in or what your career may be, it’s inevitable that you will come across trade unions at some point or another. In fact, in 2021, a quarter of the UK workforce said that they were a member of a trade union (23.1%)*, dropping by 3% since 2010 (26.6%). .

To help the UK workforce better understand how trade unions work, legal solutions firm LexisNexis have explained what they really are, the importance of them, and the potential benefits and disadvantages of joining a union.

An expert from LexisNexis, says:

“Trade unions are available to everyone who is employed within the UK, no matter what industry you’re working in. However, with only a quarter of the UK workforce being part of a trade union, it’s important to make sure that people are aware of the benefits of being part of one – as well as potential disadvantages.

“Many believe that trade unions only need to be joined if there’s a dispute in the workplace, or if you’re looking to strike alongside your colleagues,  but there’s a lot more to trade unions than this. Trade unions have paved the way for employment rights as we know them to be, with them being responsible for national minimum wage, sickness rights, improved health and safety measures and many more aspects of employment which many take for granted.

“However, it’s not always a good thing to be a part of trade unions. Firstly, there is a cost to join a union, and in some cases, these costs and fees come straight out of your paycheck. Alongside this, trade unions may not always reflect your own thoughts and beliefs, and may in turn reflect the thoughts and beliefs of the employer, rather than the employee. It’s important to ensure that you’ve weighed out the pros and cons of joining a union before you do so yourself.”

What is a trade union?

Simply put, a trade union is a group of employees who have joined together in order to improve or maintain their conditions of employment**. Since trade unions became common within workplaces, they have succeeded in implementing a national minimum wage, have abolished child labour, improved safety in the workplace, alongside improving parental leave policies and holiday and sickness entitlements.

On top of this however, trade unions have fees for members, which in some cases can be up to around £15**** per month. For some, this can seem like a small amount, but during times of need and considering the current economic climate, these funds may be better spent elsewhere – especially if you’re not benefiting from the trade union every month.

How many trade unions are there?

There are many different trade unions across the UK, supporting employees in a range of different industries and sectors. In fact, in 2019/2020 it was reported that there are 130 trade unions, ranging from small unions with under 100 members to larger unions with over 250,000 members.*****

The largest trade union in the UK is called UNISON and it has over 1.3 million members which it represents.******

How does a trade union get recognised?

Employers recognise trade unions for a number of purposes and at a number of different levels. However, trade unions are most commonly recognised in the respect of particular grades of worker, all of the workers at one workplace, all workers at all of the employer’s premises, all workers at the premises of each employer within a group of companies, or even through all workers in a particular industry at a national level.***

On top of recognising trade unions through the range of employees and premises as mentioned above, the recognition of a trade union may also refer to the scope of facilities available under a recognition agreement, from the employer to the trade union. Examples of this include letting the trade union use facilities in the workplace such as notice boards, offices and internal mail systems.***

A higher level of recognition however can include employers allowing unions to provide representation for their members during internal procedures, such as grievance hearings. Employers may also recognise trade unions for the purpose of negotiation, such as negotiating rights and decisions on workplace matters.***

What are the benefits of joining a trade union?

There are many benefits to being a member of a trade union, but one of the main benefits is the external support that you’ll be receiving throughout your time in employment. Trade unions offer further support than internal teams within the place where you work, and can sometimes do more for you than the HR and internal support teams within your organisation.

Benefits include the ability to negotiate better pay,  allowing you to work in good quality conditions and having access to improved health and safety measures. Alongside this, trade unions can also provide you with training, as well as giving general support and advice.*******

What are the disadvantages of joining a trade union?

Firstly, there is a cost to being a member of a trade union, and with the UK currently going through a cost of living crisis, this extra spend isn’t welcomed by many. The cost of union membership varies from union to union, with a membership for Unite sitting at £14.95**** per month for those in full time employment.

Furthermore, although there may be a union available for you to join, the union may not in fact actually reflect your opinion and thoughts, meaning that you’re not going to feel fully represented by the union that you’re paying to be a member of.

Finally, as many are already aware , unions promote the act of striking in the workplace to allow for changes to be made. However, more often than not, these strikes can lead to a waste of productive time for both the employees and the company itself. On top of the fact that it wastes time for employees, striking can also cause a loss of pay which causes more stress for the individuals striking, especially if the result of the strike isn’t what was hoped for.

You can find out more information about trade unions, how they can help you and their recognition here: https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/guidance/trade-union-recognition

TAGGED: header

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Start Your Business January 3, 2023
Share this Article
Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Email Copy Link
  • RSS
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Licensing
  • SEO

Get the latest from us delivered straight to your inbox

Start Your Business Magazine: The Ultimate Business Start Up Guide provides information advice and guidance for entrepreneurs and new business start ups. Get the latest from us delivered directly to your inbox.

Our website stores cookies on your computer. They allow us to remember you and help personalize your experience with our site..

Read our privacy policy for more information.

Copyright 2023 Gambit Interactive Media Limited – All Rights Reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Cookies are used for ads personalisation We do this to improve browsing experience as well as show personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?