A trade union is an organization of workers who have come together to achieve many common goals. Unions may organize a particular section of skilled workers, a cross-section of workers from various trades, or attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry. The agreements negotiated by a union are binding on the rank and file members and the employer. The majority of trade union density is in Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland.
About Trade union in brief
A trade union is an organization of workers who have come together to achieve many common goals. Unions may organize a particular section of skilled workers, a cross-section of workers from various trades, or attempt to organize all workers within a particular industry. The agreements negotiated by a union are binding on the rank and file members and the employer and in some cases on other non-member workers. Trade union density, or the percentage of workers belonging to a trade union, is highest in the Nordic countries. The origins of trade unions can be traced back to 18th century Britain, where they became popular in many countries during the Industrial Revolution. There were severe penalties for attempting to organize unions, including execution. Despite this, unions were formed and began to acquire political power, resulting in a legalized labour law that codified the relationship between employers and employees. The most common purpose of these associations or unions is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment. The delegate staff of the trade union representation in the workforce are made up of workplace volunteers who are appointed by members in democratic elections. The trade union bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with employers. The union aims to prevent the reduction of wages below the level that is traditionally maintained in the various branches of industry. It also aims to protect the integrity of their trade, improving safety standards, and attaining better wages, benefits, and working conditions through the increased bargaining power wielded by the creation of a monopoly of the workers.
A modern definition by the Australian Bureau of Statistics states that a tradeunion is an organization consisting predominantly of employees, the principal activities of which include the negotiation of rates of pay and conditions of employment for its members. Trade unions typically fund the formal organization, head office, and legal team functions of thetrade union through regular fees or union dues. The majority of trade union density is in Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway and Finland, with the highest percentage in the U.S. and Canada. The average number of members in a union is around 10 per cent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) The average union membership rate is around 20 per cent in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The BLS estimates that the average trade union member pays around $1,000 a year to their union, which is a fraction of the average wage in the rest of the world. In the UK, union members pay around $2,000 to $3,000 per year, and in Australia it is around $4,500 to $5,000. The typical union membership age is between 25 and 40 years old, depending on the type of union and the size of the workplace. The cost of a union in the UK is around £1,500. The number of trade-union members in Australia is about $1.5 million. The U.K. is about £1.2 million, and the number of workers in the Netherlands is around 1,500,000, with many more countries in Europe and North America in the process of forming unions.
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This page is based on the article Trade union published in Wikipedia (as of Jan. 04, 2021) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
