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A trade union is an organization consisting of members (membership organization) and its membership must consist mainly of employees.
One of the main purposes of a trade union is to protect and promote the interests of its members at work.
Most trade unions are independent from any employer. However, trade unions try to develop close working relationships with employers. Sometimes this can take the form of a partnership agreement between the employer and the union that defines their common interests and goals.
Trade unions:
- negotiate with employers on working conditions and pay
- discuss major changes in the workplace, such as large-scale redundancies
- discuss members’ problems with employers
- accompany members during disciplinary and grievance meetings
- provide members with legal and financial advice
- provide educational opportunities and certain consumer benefits such as discounted insurance
Recognition of trade unions
Employers who recognize a union will negotiate with it on pay and conditions for members.
Many recognition agreements are reached voluntarily, sometimes with the help of the Labour Relations Agency.
If no agreement can be reached and the organisation employs more than 20 people, the union can apply for statutory recognition. To do this, it must first submit a written request for recognition to the employer. If this fails, the trade union may apply to the Industrial Court (external link opens in a new window/tab) for a decision.
When considering the union’s application, the Court must assess many factors, including the level of membership in the union and the presence of any other unions. Often the Court will organise a vote among the affected workers to decide whether recognition should be awarded. Throughout the process, the emphasis is on reaching a voluntary agreement.
Collective bargaining
If a trade union is officially recognised by an employer, it can negotiate terms and conditions with the employer. This is known as “collective bargaining”.
For collective bargaining to work, unions and employers must agree on how they should work. They can, for example, make agreements about how union dues are deducted from members’ wages; who is to represent workers in negotiations and how often meetings will take place.
Both these agreements on procedures and agreements between employers and unions that change the terms and conditions that apply to employees (such as wage increases) are called “collective bargaining agreements”.
Your employment contract will probably specify which collective agreements apply to you.
It is possible that a trade union can negotiate on your behalf even if you are not a member.
