TRADE UNION

MEANING OF TRADE
UNION
Trade union movement is gained in
the 20
th
century. The principal
purposes of a labour union are to
negotiate wages and working
condition terms, regulate relations
between workers and the employer,
take collective action to enforce the
terms of collective bargaining, raise
new demands on behalf of its
members, and help settle their
grievances.
DEFINATION OF TRADE
UNION
According to LESTER , A trade union is
an association of employees designed
primarily to maintain or improve the
condition of its members
trade union, labour union or labour union
is an organization of workers who have
united together to achieve common
goals such as protecting the integrity of
its trade, achieving higher pay and
benefits such as health care and
retirement, increasing the number of
employees an employer assigns to
complete the work ...
WHAT IS TRADE UNION
A combination or association of men employed in the same
trade, (usually a manual or mechanical trade,) united for the
purpose of regulating the customs and standards of their
trade, fixing prices or hours of labour, Influencing the relations
of employer and employed, enlarging or maintaining their
rights and privileges, and other similar objects. -Trade-union
act. The statute 34 & 35 Vict. c. 31, passed in 1871, for the
purpose of giving legal recognition to trade unions, is known
as the "trade-union act," or "trade- union funds protection
act." It provides that the members of a trade union shall not
be prosecuted for conspiracy merely by reason that the rules
of such union are in restraint of trade; and atliat the
agreements of trade unions shall not on that account be void
or voidable. Provisions are also made with reference to the
registration and registered offices of trade unions. and other
purposes connected therewith. Mozley & Whitley.
Law Dictionary: What is TRADE UNION? definition of TRADE
UNION (Black's Law Dictionary)


STRUCTURE OF TRADE
UNION
The trade union in the Caribbean exhibits an array of examples of
organization and structure. There is, of course, a symbolic
relationship between organization, which speaks to how the union
manages and governs itself, and structure, which relates to the type
of membership. The main factor that separates the trade union from
other organizations such as the company, corporation or firm, is that
it is a mutual organization, owned by the members and run for their
benefit. This characteristic of the trade union should always be
reflected in democratic control, accountability to the membership
and decision-making that reflects the input of membership. Although
there is a wide variety of trade union organizations in the Caribbean,
there are certain basic patterns which exist. As most Caribbean
countries are relatively small, geography does not play a significant
role in trade union organization. This is not true in relation to larger
territories such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname
and Belize where geographical diversity can impact on trade union
organization, necessitating regional and other arrangements.

WHAT IS PLURAL
TRADEUNION
The correct plural of trade union, is 'trade unions'
(meaning more than one trade union).

The form 'trades union' is historical, going back to the
early unions which would be formed with workers from
more than one trade (hence 'trades'). This then later
changed as unions became more specific to particular
trades to simply 'trade union'. It could be argued that
this has swung the other way these days with unions
taking people from many different 'trades', however the
form 'trade union' has stuck.

There are exceptions though, so the TUC (Trades
Union Congress), is written that way simply because
they wanted to keep to the older, perhaps traditional,
meaning.
What are the function of trade
union in NIGERIA?

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. Trade unions are formed to
achieve the following objectives:


Representation
Trade unions represent individual workers when they
have a problem at work. If an employee feels he is
being unfairly treated, he can ask the union
representative to help sort out the difficulty with the
manager or employer. Unions also offer their members
legal representation. Normally this is to help people get
financial compensation for work-related injuries or to
assist people who have to take their employer to court.

Negotiation
Negotiation is where union representatives, discuss with management, the
issues which affect people working in an organization. There may be a
difference of opinion between management and union members. Trade unions
negotiate with the employers to find out a solution to these differences. Pay,
working hours, holidays and changes to working practices are the sorts of
issues that are negotiated. In many workplaces there is a formal agreement
between the union and the company which states that the union has the right
to negotiate with the employer. In these organizations, unions are said to be
recognized for collective bargaining purposes.

Voice in decisions affecting workers
The economic security of employees is determined not only by the level of
wages and duration of their employment, but also by the management's
personal policies which include selection of employees for lay offs,
retrenchment, promotion and transfer. These policies directly affect workers.
The evaluation criteria for such decisions may not be fair. So, the intervention
of unions in such decision making is a way through which workers can have
their say in the decision making to safeguard their interests.

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