Trade Unions and Businesses: Introduction

• these are organisations of employees who have come together for a common purpose
• trade unions are formed by employees with a shared interest
• The main function of trade unions is collective bargaining on behalf of employees
• Collective bargaining refers to the process of negotiation between employers(management)
• and a group of employees aimed at agreements:
• on salaries,
• working conditions,
• benefits,
• and other aspects of workers’ compensation and rights.
• Most trade unions are led by full time leaders known as union leaders
• in addition to collective bargaining trade unions have other functions which include
• finding representation for their members during disciplinary hearings, unfair dismissals etc
• providing payment to their members during industrial and times of difficulty
• deciding on whether or not to start industrial action
• communicating to the outside world on behalf of their members
• take collective action in order to reinforce and enforce the rights of their members or agreements with management
• trade unions derive their power from the fact that there is strength in numbers
• To view a list of trade unions in Zimbabwe click here

To access more topics go to the O Level Business Notes