Trade Union - an organisation of employees that seeks to protect and improve the interests of its members. It does this by negotiating with employers on pay and conditions of work.
Trade Union Congress (TUC) - an organisation that brings Britain's unions together to draw up common policies and lobby the government to implement policies that will benefit employees
ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. It gives impartial advice and guidance on how to improve employer/employee relations
Actions Unions take:
'No-strike' deals - this is when a union gives up the right to strike for a certain amount of time in exchange for benefits for their members. Examples of these benefits are; job security, better pensions and increased involvement of the union in business decisions.
Employee participation - employees have the ability to participate in the decision making process at work
Quality circles - these are regular short meetings of a group of employees during working hours, with the objective of discussing and resolving work-related problems.
Work Councils - a formal meeting of managers and employee representatives to discuss pay and working conditions and to negotiate on issues such as changes in the business. There is a legal requirement for large multinational companies operating in the EU to set up a work council.
Industrial Action - the measures that a union can take to put pressure on management in a dispute in order to make them change their mind about a decision. These actions include, striking, work to rule and refusal to work overtime
Potential Costs for a business when recognising a union:
Potential advantages: