1. Trade Unions
Learning Objective- To be able to understand the role of Trade Unions in business
Learning Outcomes
Able to define trade union and identify forms of industrial action (E)
Able to analyse the benefits and drawbacks of union membership (C)
Able to evaluate the cost of industrial action to a range of stakeholders (A)

2. What do trade unions do?
They act as a pressure group – by seeking to influence government to make laws that are in the interests of its members
Eg asking government to limit working hours more strictly
Eg asking government to
increase the minimum wage

3. What else do trade unions do?
Unions protect the interests of their members by helping them with things like:
Working conditions
Hours
Redundancy
Unfair dismissal
Safety at work
Race and sex discrimination
Pay
Holiday entitlement

4. Benefits of union membership
Unions have strength in numbers
The actions of a large group of workers will have more influence on employers than the actions of an individual

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9. More benefits of trade unions
They can give expert advice and support
Unions employ specialists such as solicitors and can advise workers about the rights they have and what to do in a dispute
They have the money to help to pay for expensive court cases
They will have trained negotiators who know how to deal with the employers

10. Unions can also negotiate benefits for the members
EG Discounts in some shops and lower rates of interest on loans

11. Industrial action
Many disputes are settled before industrial action takes place
Workers can take industrial action to try to achieve what they want in a dispute with the employer
Industrial action is designed to benefit the workers
It may have costs for the worker and it may harm the employer, the customers and the economy as a whole

12. The main forms of industrial action
Strike
Overtime ban
Work to rule

13. The costs of industrial action
Costs to the workers
Costs to the customers
Costs to the firm
Costs to the economy

14. Single union agreements
In some workplaces, several different unions may represent different kinds of workers
Different craft unions may represent different kinds of skilled workers
White-collar unions represent office workers
A general union may represent some semi-skilled and unskilled workers
This can make industrial relations complicated
In some firms, there are single union agreements

15. Single union agreements
All the workers are members of the same union
This can help the workers as well as the employers
The workers benefit because all the workers speak with one voice and this may add to their strength
For the firm it is easier to negotiate with one union rather than several of them

16. ACAS – Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACAS trys to settle disputes between workers and employers
It will give advice to the employer and to the union
It will provide conciliation – it tries to find areas that both sides agree on
It provides arbitration – when the two sides cannot reach an agreement, ACAS appoints an arbitrator who hears the arguments and makes a decision.
The union and the employer cannot disobey any decision the arbitrator makes unless they had agreed to non binding arbitration

17. Over to you Complete Activity 7, page 216, in your exercise books.
Complete examination questions p218 in your exercise books.