TRADE UNION
Module V (iii)
Trade Unions
"Trade Union" means any combination, whether
temporary or permanent, formed primarily for
the purpose of regulating the relations between
workmen and employers or between workmen
and workmen, or between employers and
employers, or for imposing restrictive conditions
on the conduct of any trade or business
Trade unions are formed to protect and promote
the interests of their members. Their primary
function is to protect the interests of workers
against discrimination and unfair labor practices.
Objectives
Representation
Negotiation
Voice in decisions affecting workers
Member services
(a) Education and training
(b) Legal assistance
(c) Financial discounts
(d) Welfare benefits
Functions of Trade unions
(i) Militant functions
(a) To achieve higher wages and better
working conditions
(b) To raise the status of workers as a part
of industry
(c) To protect labors against victimization
and injustice
(ii) Fraternal functions
To take up welfare measures for improving the
morale of workers
To generate self confidence among workers
To encourage sincerity and discipline among
workers
To provide opportunities for promotion and
growth
To protect women workers against
discrimination
Importance Of Trade Unions
Trade unions help in accelerated pace of economic
development in many ways as follows:
by helping in the recruitment and selection of workers.
by inculcating discipline among the workforce
by enabling settlement of industrial disputes in a rational
manner
by helping social adjustments. Workers have to adjust
themselves to the new working conditions, the new rules
and policies. Workers coming from different backgrounds
may become disorganized, unsatisfied and frustrated.
Unions help them in such adjustment.
Contd….
Social responsibilities of trade unions
include:
promoting and maintaining national
integration by reducing the number of
industrial disputes
incorporating a sense of corporate social
responsibility in workers
achieving industrial peace
Reasons for Joining Trade Unions
Greater Bargaining Power
Minimize Discrimination
Sense of Security
Sense of Participation
Sense of Belongingness
Platform for self expression
Betterment of relationships
Causes of Industrial Disputes
The causes of industrial disputes can be
broadly classified into two categories:
economic causes
The economic causes will include issues relating to
compensation like wages, bonus, allowances, and
conditions for work, working hours, leave and holidays
without pay, unjust layoffs and retrenchments.
non-economic causes
The non economic factors will include
victimization of workers, ill treatment by
staff members, sympathetic strikes,
political factors, indiscipline etc.
Strikes
A strike is a very powerful weapon used by trade
unions and other labor associations to get their
demands accepted. It generally involves quitting
of work by a group of workers for the purpose
of bringing the pressure on their employer so
that their demands get accepted. When workers
collectively cease to work in a particular
industry, they are said to be on strike.
Causes of strikes
Strikes can occur because of the following reasons:
Dissatisfaction with company policy
Salary and incentive problems
Increment not up to the mark
Wrongful discharge or dismissal of workmen
Withdrawal of any concession or privilege
Hours of work and rest intervals
Leaves with wages and holidays
Bonus, profit sharing, Provident fund and gratuity
Retrenchment of workmen and closure of establishment
Dispute connected with minimum wages
TYPES OF STRIKE
Economic Strike
Sympathetic Strike
General Strike
Sit down Strike
Slow Down Strike
Sick-out (or sick-in )
Wild cat strikes
Trade Union in Malaysia
While the Malaysian constitution
guarantees the rights of all Malaysians to
form and join a trade union, there are
several restrictions imposed by the laws
relating to trade unions, i.e. the Trade
Unions Act 1959 (TUA) and the Industrial
Relations Act 1967 (IRA)
The restrictive Trade Unions Act does not
allow general unions for workers.
Membership of any trade union is confined
to only those who are employees of a
particular industry, establishment, trade
and occupation. Example a bank employee
could only be a member of a banking
union, but cannot be a member of an
airline union or teachers union.
For enterprise or in-house union,
membership is confined to employees of
that particular establishment or company -
employees of the company’s subsidiary or
an associate company could not join that
union.
The TUA protects workers from being
victimised by an Employer for joining a
union. However, the same section of an
act states explicitly that an employer may
dismiss, demote, transfer or refuse to
promote a worker on other grounds.
However it has not stopped employers
form dismissing trade union officials for
writing Union circulars
Temporary workers, contract workers
including foreign workers could actually
join union as members. However, most of
the workers were reluctant to join a union
for fear that their contract might not be
renewed or work permit cancelled, making
it difficult for a union to represent them.
Generally managerial, executive,
confidential and security employees
cannot be members of a non-executive
union, nor can they be represented by a
union for the purpose of collective
bargaining.
