Problem
Unrepresentativeness of trade unions
Other Names:
Inadequate employee participation in collective-bargaining Nature:
Under agreements between employers and business agents of unions, one union may be recognized by the employers as representing the interests of all wage earners, whether union or non-union. The unionized worker already has the problem that his union may only be responsive to its national headquarters and to dealing with the employer directly, having little consultation with the local union members. The non-union member may be considered spoken-for by the recognized union, but has no possibility of voting in union decisions. Large numbers of non-union members may not be allowed to constitute themselves into a collective bargaining body. This lack of voice for non-union workers, clericals, or professionals is a cause of unnecessary strife between management and employees.
Incidence:
In the UK in 1994, only 21 percent of part-time workers were in unions compared with 37 percent of full-timers, while the proportion of women workers in unions fell in 1993 to 30 percent.
Broader Problems:
Undemocratic policy-makingUnethical trade union practicesIneffective worker organizationsOutdated labour negotiation procedures Aggravates:
Lack of worker participation in business decision-makingIsolation of trade union members from their representatives Strategies:
Decentralizing wage bargaining Subject(s):
Social Activity → EmployeesSocial Activity → Employment conditions
Social Activity → Participation
Social Activity → Workers
Societal Problems → Inadequacy
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems Date of last update
18.09.2019 – 15:19 CEST