TRADE UNION

Changing role of the trade union movement in the United Kingdom

Changing role of the trade union movement in the United Kingdom

Introduction

Trade unions are a major source of hope for the working men in Britain today, as they try to help working class by providing them an opportunity to work in a more social and favorable environment. Trade union had been legalized in United Kingdom on 1871. The law was there to help the labor and working class in British industries to work under the socio-economic conditions. However at that time, it did not attract that much of interest from the concerned parties. The movements' supremacy was noticed at the time of 1970's. This was the era when the government was not able to govern without the consent of the trade union movement. Now, there authority has not remained the same as it was in the era of late 70's. The trade union's influence started to decline in the era of 1980's. The decline was so drastic that its impact was also noticed in the 1990's era. Then in the 21st Century, the decline of the trade union movement slowed down from the previous two decades.

This declining trend is mainly due to changes in the human resource management systems, which encompass the imposition of legal limitations specifically in the areas of recruitment, selection, and training and development. The labor union has taken several steps in this regard to increase its membership in the preceding years, but it was not enough for them to increase their membership. Yes, they do have managed to reduce the declining trend from the era of 80's and 90's to a minimal level in the 21st Century, which is an encouraging sign for them.

This report has focused on providing a thorough study about the recent trends of trade unions in the United Kingdom, and it also highlights the possible changes that the trade unions could bring in the United Kingdom over the next 10 year period. It will further point out the strategies that could be used in order to restore the position of these trade unions, and their impact on the workplace and employment relation s in the United Kingdom.

Recent trends in Trade Union

The trade union in United Kingdom has been in a declining phase from the mid 1980's. The membership at the early 80's was around 50 percent of the total workforce of the United Kingdom, which latter on declined to 30 percent in 2000. This rate was kept on falling, as the figure saw a 3 percent decline in the next decade time, as the rate on 2010 remained just 27 percent (Bryson, 2010, pp. 2-5).

There is also seen a significant gap in the trade union membership between the public and private sectors; 56 percent of the public sectors are affiliated with the trade unions as compared to the meager 14 percent in the private sector. There is also a difference in the workplaces in comparison of their size; small firms (less than 50 ...