What Are The Functions Of a Trade Union?

A trade union is an organisation of workers who have banded together to work towards and achieve common goals such as better working conditions, pay, employment benefits and insurance. A trade union will provide help and support to employees in times of need such as disciplinary hearings, strikes, appraisals, complaints and negotiations.

The trade union has leaders, or union representatives, who bargain with and negotiate with the employer on behalf of union members for labour contracts. This may include the negotiation of wages, working rules, policies concerning hiring, firing and promotion, workplace safety, as well as the other elements mentioned above. The most common function of a trade union is committed to maintaining or improving the conditions of employment.

Benefits of Being a Member of a Trade Union

Early trade unions offered a range of benefits to insure employees against unemployment, ill health, old age and funeral expenses. Another function of a trade union is to take collective action against an employer to enforce the terms of collective bargaining and help settle grievances. Trade unions may also undertake political lobbying, organise protests and strikes, pursue campaigns and financially support individual candidates or parties for public office if it is in the interests of the union members or workforce as a whole.

The History Of Trade Unions

Originating in the UK and Europe during the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, trade unions bridged the gap between the unskilled, mistreated and underpaid workforces and shifted the bargaining power back to the employees from the employers. Over the last 300 years trade unions have continued to operate and hold power in the workplace, protecting workers’ rights and helping to create and maintain better working conditions for all sorts of industries.

A List of Trade Union Functions

• Defending their employee rights and jobs


• Securing improvements in their working conditions, including hours of work and health safety at work


• Improving their pay and other benefits, including holiday entitlements


• Encouraging firms to increase worker participation in business decision making


• Improving sick pay, pensions and industrial injury benefits


• Developing and protecting the skills of union members

The functions of a trade union are as follows:

1. Defending their employee rights and jobs


2. Securing improvements in their working conditions, including hours of work and health safety at work


3. Improving their pay and other benefits, including holiday entitlements


4. Encouraging firms to increase worker participation in business decision making


5. Improving sick pay, pensions and industrial injury benefits


6. Developing and protecting the skills of union members

Trade unions main objective is the deliberate regulation of the conditions of employment in such a way as toward off from the manual working procedures, the evil effects of industrial competition. The functions of trade unions are as under

Fighting functions: The main functions of Trade Unions are to ensure adequate wages, secure better  conditions of work employment , reduce  hours of work., get  better treatment from employers  and to secure some share in the profit and also control of industry . In order to achieve these things, trade Unions adopt the methods of collective bargaining negotiations, strikes, and boycotts. These functions of the trade unions are known as militant or fighting functions.

Welfare works: Trade Unions help the worker in the form of sickness  and accident  benefits . They  support them during  unemployment or during  strikes and lockouts. They run schools for the children  of the workers they provide library  facilities  to their  members. They provide indoor and out door games. In this way Trade Unions try to increase the welfare of their members.

Represent their members: They select their leaders to represent  them on the board  of directors  of companies. They plead on behalf of the workers.

Political functions: Trade Unions try to achieve political  objectives  of establishing  socialist  state. They participate in general elections. They fight in elections.