Labor Union

What is a Labor Union?

Also known as worker’s union or trade union, a labor union is one organization that signifies the communal interests of employees. Labor unions assist workers by uniting them to negotiate with employers over working conditions, benefits, hours, and wages.

Often, they are Industry-specific and turn out to be more common in the public sector, transportation, construction, mining and Manufacturing. Although advantageous to members, labor union representation has decreased substantially in the private sector.

Understanding Labor Union

Basically, labor unions are meant to safeguard the rights of workers in certain industries. A union, generally, works as a democracy by holding elections to appoint their officers. These union officers are charged with a duty of deciding benefits for union participants.

The union’s structure is similar to a locally based employees’ group who acquire a charter from an organization working at a national level. Employees pay their dues to this national union. In return, the union acts as an advocate on behalf of employees.

In India, the Trade Union Act provides an enforceable right to form labor unions, whether private or government sector. This act also offers unionized employees their right to bargain and strike jointly for unsatisfactory working conditions.

Moreover, labor unions are available in several countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Sweden. Most of the large unions actively promote legislators, on local and state levels, to accomplish objectives that they find are advantageous to their members.

Labor Union Example

Almost all of the labor unions are structured similarly and function in the same way. One of the major and progressive labor union examples is Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India.

This is a trade union that is established in Ahmedabad, India to promote low-Income rights and independently employed females. With more than 1.6 million women participants, SEWA is the largest organization that is working for the welfare of informal workers in the world.

Not just that, but it is the largest non-profit organization in the country as well. This union is framed across the objective of full employment wherein a woman gets to secure her family with shelter, child care, health care, food, and income.

The major principles behind acquiring these objectives are development and struggle; thus, meaning negotiating well with stakeholders and Offering services.