The role of the state and how it affects unions

The role of the state and how it affects unions

The role of the state is to create decent jobs for the workers. A decent job is one that can pay a sufficient amount to provide for a small family with a safe, healthy and better standard of living. This is contrary to the assumption that upcoming jobs will provide workers with higher opportunities to raise their living standard.

The labour unions represent a structural change that would enhance the ability of the government’s economy to create decent jobs. Labour Unions enable workers to have the bargaining power they need in order to negotiate major improvement in their working conditions. If unions negotiate for the better of the workers only, it may raise the business costs extremely and will therefore limit the availability of jobs.

Workers who come together and bargain collectively on their working conditions have a better negotiating power. This could significantly raise a number of decent jobs on offer hence creation of better jobs. Policies are made easier when workers join unions. The unions contain measures that protect workers from employer’s efforts to stop them from bargaining collectively.

Labour Unions considerably enhance the pay and benefits in present occupations alongside those that are projected to have the largest planned employment growth. A higher rise in union representation would add millions of jobs in a country’s economy. The economic impact of unions does not guarantee that the higher rate on unionisation reduces the higher rate of unemployment. If workers do not change their working conditions, a higher percentage of workers in a country will not have decent jobs. Lack of structural changes can lead to problems in economy which may go a long way. Unions promote a favourable projection for decent job offers by encouraging workers to bargain collectively over their working conditions.

 

The development of labour law—is it supportive?

The labour law is the body that mediates the rights and duties of workers, employers, and labour unions. These laws set the standard that rule workers rights to organize in the private sector and overrides most state and local laws. Federal and state laws protect workers from employment prejudice, on grounds of race, gender, religion, national origin and age. Federal law pre-empts most state laws that would stop employers from discriminating against employees to prevent them from attaining pensions and other benefits or retaliating against them for asserting those rights.

Labour laws establish a minimum wage and overtime rights for most private sector workers, with a number of exemptions and exceptions. In labour laws of Canada, It is in the interest of a worker to know whether they are eligible for the protections and coverage, and for employers who need to know to whom they owe legal responsibilities. (Godard, & Delaney, 2000)

First, general principles of fairness require that all people with similar characteristics ought to be treated in the same way. Secondly, no one should be permitted to work in unfavourable conditions. This might happen in several ways. If significant groups of workers were excluded from coverage but were willing to work in unfavourable conditions employers might be tempted to reassign work to them, and take it away from workers who are covered.

The economic and social effect of strikes

When work stops because of an industrial dispute, the workers and their families are affected. Their families also feel the impact of lost household income. During a strike, members of the public may miss out on some goods or services. Strikes usually give the media attention to grow and give the workers better opportunities after the press is involved. Strikes may also give the workers what they went on strike for and improve their situation at their work place. Negatively, many people on strike end up losing their jobs.

A substantial harm is affected on business and to the view of investors of the local business environment. The strike may capture the attention of the opposing negotiators and the public. In as much as strikes are used as an instrument of influence in negotiations on socio-economic issues, they also act as a “blunting” instrument of negotiation and large harm is affected on business and to the perception of investors of the local business environment.

A successful strike can form a new partnership between government and business, which may lead to a more effective collaboration with labour in the national economic interest.  Business often acts to preserve the integrity of our business environment and is sometimes forced to make substantial compromises to safeguard positive investor perception.  In a society where economic outcomes are determined in negotiations between business, government and labour, business must continue to be a counterweight in this relationship.

Strikes affect a country’s reputation. The communities affected by the strike, such as students, visitors, business people and immigrants applying for visas, are probably more likely to rethink of a country’s image.

The function of unionism

The function of trade unions is to ensure that adequate wages are given to workers. The union should see to it that employees have secured a better working environment. Unions also oblige employers to handle employees with dignity and respect; and at their best, they give a way for workers to make society both more democratic and independent. (Yates, 1998). Unions should also raise the status of workers in the industry. If the union fails by way collective bargain method, it will put up a fight with the management by forming a strike.

The trade union should try to foster a spirit of co-operation and friendly industrial relationship among their members. They should as well take measures for improving the self esteem of the workers to generate self-confidence. If necessary, they should arrange legal assistance to the members. They should provide opportunities for promotion and growth and protect women against discrimination.

It is advisable for workers to know enjoy what they do since work is something more than a punishment. The choice of occupation defines one’s true identity basing on a commonly asked question “What do you do?” This is a clear indication that our existence passes through the gates of paid employment. (De Botton, 2010).

Management’s right to manage and economic democracy

The manager’s right to manage is the rightful entrepreneurship, or other industrial societies, of the disciplinary powers that managers claim over workers. It is basically connected to the property rights of the person claiming to own particular means of production. Their agents act on their behalf, in directing wage labourers to perform duties. It is closely related to the Master-servant relationship in industrial law, the manager’s right to manage is often disputed by day to day industrial resistance, or organised bodies of workers, such as trade unions.

Economic democracy is a socioeconomic idea that proposes to shift decision-making power from corporate shareholders to a larger group of public stakeholders that includes workers, customers, suppliers, neighbours and the broader public. No single description or approach covers economic democracy, but most proponents claim that modern property relations externalize costs, subordinate the general well-being to private profit, and deny the public a democratic voice in economic policy decisions.

 

Conclusions

The labour unions are good since they assist workers in the sense that their wages improve and ensure the safety of their workplace. However, employers occasionally complain that unions are harmful to business and to the economy. Employees who are not in union are typically hired “at will,” meaning they can be fired for no reason. There are exceptions. Employers cannot terminate a worker for biased reasons such as race, religion, age and the like. Nor can they fire an at-will employee for being a whistleblower and certain other reasons. However, workers with union jobs can only be terminated for “just cause,” and the misbehaviour must be serious enough to lead to such action. Before an employee can actually be fired, he or she can go through a grievance procedure, and if necessary, negotiation.

Unionized workers have more power as an organized group than by acting individually. Through collective bargaining, workers negotiate wages, health and safety issues, benefits, and working conditions with management through their union. Rules vary among collective bargaining agreements, but in the event of layoffs, employers usually are required to dismiss the most recent hires first and those with the most seniority last. In some cases, a worker with a union job who has more seniority may receive a first priority for an open job. Seniority also can be a factor in determining who gets a promotion and eliminates favouritism in the workplace.

Some unions also require a one-time initiation fee. Dues help the union pay for officials’ salaries and conducting union business, but members sometimes complain about the amount they pay, how the money is spent, and how it is allocated between the national and local union. The flip side of job security is that union members sacrifice individuality by belonging to a group. You may disagree with the union’s decisions, but you are bound by them.

 

References

De Botton, A. (2010). The pleasures and sorrows of work. Random House Digital, Inc..

Godard, J., & Delaney, J. T. (2000). Reflections on the” high performance” paradigm’s Yates, M.

implications for industrial relations as a field. Industrial and Labour Relations Review,

482-502.

Yates, M. D. (1998). Why unions matter. NYU Press.

 

 

 

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