Manual and service industry workers are often organize inlabour unions, whitch attempt to ensure fair wages, resonable working hours and safe working conditions for their members. British unions are known as trade unions because, as in Germany, their are largely organized according to trade or skill: there is an engineers' union, and electicians' union, a train-drivers' union, and so on. In other countries, including France and Italy, unions are largely political: workers in different industries join unions with a particular political position.
Industrial relations tend to be better in countries, idustries and companies were communcations are good, i.e. were management consults workers on matters that will concern them, were nither side treats the other as an adversary, and when unions do not insist upon the prezervation of completely uneconomic jobs and working practices. Although some employers and managers( and political parties) oppose the very existence of unions-even though, like doctors, lawyers, accountants, and so on, they might themselves belong to a prfessional association with similar basic aims- many management theorists stress the necessity of unions. In the 1970's, Peter Drucker wrote that 'Management is and has to be a power. Any power needs restrained and control- or else it becomes tyranny. The union serves an essential function in industrial society'. Yet one of the chief objectives of right-wing governments in 1980's (e.g. in British and the USA)was to diminish the power of trade unions, and to deregulate labour markets in accordance with the ideals of free markets.
As a result of deregulation, working conditions in many industries in many countries have worsened, leading to the creation of a great many casual, part-time, unskilled jobs done by non-unionizes workers.France, for example, has the lowest number of workers in trade unions in the industrialized world. The unions now reprezent less then 10% of the French work force, and most of thouse are in the public sector. The vast majority of french workers seem to have rejected the confruntational politics of the maine unions, notably the communist-controled CGT. Consenquently, when the largely non-unionized frenche lorry-drivers blocked all the motorways in the summer of 1992, striking over the introduction of a new drivers licence with a penalty-point system( and over their working conditions in general), the french government found no one to negociate with.
In fact, a number of politicians and business leaders are biginning to regret the weakness of unions. Some mangers, including Antoine Ribout, the former head of the huge Danone food conglomerate, actively encourage unionization because they insist that a big company needs someone to reprezent and articulate the needs of the employees and act asa a social partener to the employer. But their is clearly a problem if workers belive that the unions are incapable of doing this, and choose not to join them.
Rusulscaia Ecaterina, Sorocovici Cristina
TRANSLATE IN ROMANIAN for the text "Who needs unions", posted by Rusulscaia Ecaterina, Sorocovici Cristina
ReplyDeleteCui ii sunt necesare uniunile?
Muncitorii de lucru manual si servicii industriale sunt organizati in uniuni ale muncii, care are drept scop asigurarea cu salarii cinstite, ore de lucru rezonabile si conditii sigure de lucru pentru membrii ei. Uniunile Britanice sunt cunoscute ca sindicate pentru ca, la fel ca si in Germania, ele sunt in mare parte organizate in conformitate cu tipul comertului sau indeminarea : exista o uniune a inginerilor , una a electricienilor, o uniune a conductorilor de tren si asa mai departe. In alte tari, incluzind Franta si Italia, uniunile sunt in mare parte politice : muncitorii din diferite industii se reunesc in uniuni cu o pozitie politica particulara.
Relatiile industriale tind sa devina mai bune in tarile, industriile si companiile unde comunicarea este buna, spre exemplu unde managerii consulta lucratorii despe problemele care ii afecteaza , unde nici una dintre parti trateaza pe cealalta ca pe un adversar, si unde uniunile nu insista asupra pastrarii posturilor de lucru total nerentabile si practicilor de lucru. Chiar daca unii angajatori si manageri (si partide politice) se opun existentei uniunilor- chiar si asa, precum medicii, avocatii, contabilii, si asa mai departe, ei ar putea face parte dintr-o asociatie profesionala cu scopuri similare – multi teoreticieni ai managementului preseaza necesitatea uniunilor. In 1970, Peter Drucker a scris « Managementul este si trebuie sa fie o putere ». Oricare putere trebuie restrinsa si controlata- sau altfel va deveni tiranie.
Uniunile au o functie esentiala in societatile industriale . Inca unul dintre obiectivele guvernului de dreapta in 1980( in Marea Britanie si SUA) a fost de a reduce puterea uniunilor muncii, si de a deregula piata muncii in concordanta cu idealul unei piete libere.
Ca un rezultat al deregularii, conditiile de lucru in multe industrii in multe tari s-au inrautatit, ducind la crearea multor slujbe/ocupatii necalificate, intimplatoare si pe jumatate de norma efectuate de lucratori ce nu aprtin sindicatului. Franta spre exmplu, are cel mai mic numar de muncitori in sindicate in lumea industrializata. Uniunile acum reprezinta mai putin de 10% din forta de munca franceza, si majoritatea dintre acestea sunt in sectorul public. Marea majoritatea a muncitorilor francezi se pare ca au respins confruntarile politice a majoritatii uniunilor, remarcabil fiind controlul comunist asupta CGT. Consecvent cind majoritatea soferilor de camion care nu apartin sindicatelor au blocat toate autostrazile in vara anului 1992, cerind introducerea noilor permise de conducere cu un sistem de puncte de penalitate ( si asupra conditiior de lucru in general ), guvernul Francez a gasit pe nimeni sa negocieze.
De fapt, un numar de politicieni si lideri de biznes iincep sa regrete slabirea uniunilor. Unii menageri, incluzind Antoine Riboud, capul anterior al enormei amestecari de hrana Danone, au incurajat activ unionizarea pentru ca ei insista ca o companie mare trebuie sa reprezinte si sa articuleze nevoile angajatilor si sa serveasca precum un partener social al angajatorului. Dar evident este o problema daca muncitorii cred ca uniunile sunt incapabile sa faca asta, si aleg ca sa nu li se alature.
A trade union (or labor union, labour union) is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labor contracts (Collective bargaining) with employers. This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety and policies. The agreements negotiated by the union leaders are binding on the rank and file members and the employer and in some cases on other non-member workers.
ReplyDeleteAdvantages of labor unions:
Labor unions are the subject of much controversy in the United States. To some extent, this is due to a lack of information about the benefits that a union provides to employers and employees. A labor union is an organization of workers whose purpose is to negotiate with employers for better wages, safer working conditions, and fair treatment. Unions exist to make life better for employees, but they also provide benefits to employers.
Disadvantages of labor unions:
As a member of a labor union, you cannot be fired without cause. You have a powerful force that can back you up in cases where you feel your rights are being violated. You have consistency in work policies. You don't have to negotiate for raises, because they are spelled out in the union contract. Labor unions, however, also have disadvantages to both workers and employers.
As a conclusion:
Unions play a pivotal role both in securing legislated labor protections and rights such as safety and health, overtime, and family/medical leave and in enforcing those rights on the job. Because unionized workers are more informed, they are more likely to benefit from social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation. Unions are thus an intermediary institution that provides a necessary complement to legislated benefits and protections.
Sorocovici Cristina
Exercises
ReplyDelete1b Vocabulary page 37
Match up the words on the number column with the definition on the letter column.
1. Collective bargaining
2. A strike
3. A go-slow(GB)or slowdown(US)
4. Working-to-rule
5. Industrial action
6. to picket
A. A general term for strikes, go-slows, work-to-rules, and so on.
B. A deliberate redaction in the rate of production as a protest.
C. A stoppage of work, as a protest against working conditions, low pay and so on.
D. Negotiations between unions and employers about their members' wages and working conditions
E. To protest outside a factory or other work place, and to try to persuade workers and delivery divers not to enter.
F. deliberately obeying every regulation in an organization which severely disrupts normal ooperations.
2c Vocabulary
Find the words in the text which mean the following.
1. People who work with their hands
2. Union for workers with a particular type of job.
3. to ask someone's opinion before making a decision.
4. an opponent or enemy
5. too expencive, wasetful , loss-making
6. unlimited and unfairly used power
7. ending or relaxing restrictive laws
8. areas of the economy run by the local or national government
9. hostile, almoust agresive, seeking conflicts
10. a large corporation made up of a group of companies.
Answer Keys
1b Vocabulary
1D
2A
3E
4C
5B
6F
2c. Vocabulary
1 manual workers
2 labour unions
3 to consult
4 adversary
5 uneconomic
6 tyranny
7 free
8 public sector
9 confrontational
10 conglomeration
Essey for labour unions
ReplyDeleteRusulscaia Ecaterina
Seeking in the dictionary for the word labour union, we find that means workers’ organization, an organization of wage earners that is set up to serve and advance its members’ interest in terms of wages, benefits and working hours and conditions. In generally the labour represents the work-toil, manual labour that workers are doing inside an organization or individually, in different sectors like industry, services or agriculture.
During time the relations between workers modified slightly and they began to aggregate their interest for getting higher work results and higher monetary payments for it. In all this process of conglomerating the work force into groups which represent the interest of its members or associates it appeared different types of organized labour, trade unions, staff association, syndicate or union which were firstly formed according to moral rules, ethics, but then according to the law. The formation of labour unions were mainly influenced by the regionalization, modernization and the process of specialization of people in different domains, so for example we can take British unions that are known as trade unions because as in Germany they are largely organized according to trade or skill, there is an engineers’, electricians, train-drivers unions and so on. In other countries were the main specialization of workers is in agriculture, there may exist a farmers’ union.
The formation and development of labour unions is shaped by the environment in which they exist, so in this way the politics, economy and all the social factors are mainly external factors that will guide the activity of the union. In countries were democracy, freedom is well developed, unions have the tendency to rise their requests upon the employers, and those who pay their salary. That workers are more liberal so if something is not according to the contract they are working after, they can organize strikes by which they will try to defend their rights, to get better wages and working conditions. In countries were the political system is fragile, the organizations are very often exposed to deregulations, so the working conditions in many industries are getting worse.
Advantages
დ Industrial relations between unions are improving during the past few years because people are expressing the necessity of unions.
დ People organize themselves in unions because in this way they can express the common interest and get better benefits for them.
დ Unions are having political importance and impact in some countries and this is good because the necessities and goals of the unions’ members can be shared faster with the whole population.
Disadvantages
დ In countries like Italy and France the unions are mainly political, this is not a plus to their members because they can help involuntarily someone to get to power and after that they can be used just as chess pieces in the political arena.
დ In unions not all the necessities of their members are satisfied. Usually they seek for improving general aspects of labour that sometimes does not represent the majority’s wants and needs.
Conclusion:
The power of unions has to be preserved because just in this way the common interest can be fulfilled, but still it’s power have to have a restrain too- or else it becomes tyranny. The aim of most of the governments is to diminish the power and influence of trade unions, but my opinion is that this is wrong because a big company needs someone to represent and articulate the needs of the employees and act as a social partner to the employer.
Unions are necessary because just in this way the labour division and specialization can cover all the domains were common goals and aims are needed to be represented.
Essay "Labour relations"
ReplyDeleteStruggling against low wages and out of the world prices and also against long hours imposed by impersonal corporations, workers in the industrial age found strength in Labor Unions – associations of workers aiming at improving their economic status and working conditions through collective bargaining with employers. But the work done by these unions had little or no impact on employee’s and workers life by the end of the 19th century. Labour unions were inadequately organized, and many of them were exclusive. That’s why without a proper organization or an impressive number they could not be a success. The developing of labour unions in different countries is different, by in some of them they have an obvious influence in other – they enjoy smaller while the goal remain the same – to protect the interests of workers.
Advantages:
1 The unions activate to increase the salaries of simple workers.
2 They provide informational camping inside a company.
3 Unions negotiate with government in order to use public boons at the maximum. For example: seasonal ticket that permit using the public transport at lowest price.
4 Some unions are nongovernmental organizations what protect the workers interests inside the government.
5 Labour unions solve conflicts that appear between managers and simple workers.
Disadvantages:
1 Unions in low developed organizations are inefficient yet.
2 In some countries the number of workers involved in unions are very small. For example in France – 10% of workers are members of labour unions.
3 This organizations are nongovernmental and can’t manage or take care of they members only trough parties in the parliament.
4 Sometimes actions provided by unions are economic dangerous.
Conclusion:
Nowadays, unions must exist for protecting the workers rights and interests. Unions remain the last instrument of negotiation between managers, simple workers and government. I think that in future the unions will become much more powerful organizations and will interact with the government either and will reflect workers interests into government directly. Nowadays, managers running their companies in order to better increase their profit but they don’t think about simple workers. That is why labour unions should take care of the workers and employees permanently and
worldwide.
Vodeaniuc Vadim
Essay "Labour relations"
ReplyDeleteTeisanu Elena, EMREI 295
A trade union is an organization usually made up of a great number of members(a membership-based organization)and consequently its membership should be represented mainly of workers. One of a trade union's main aims is to protect and advance the interests of its members in their working place.
A trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals, such as working conditions: wages, promotion of workers, benefits, security. Most trade unions are independent of any employer. Trade unions try to develop close working relationship with employers. This can sometimes take the form of a partnership agreement between the employer and the trade union which identifies their common interests and objectives.
There are some advantages of unionized workers. Unions can raise wages of unionized workers(by 20%)and also can raise compensation, including both wages and benefits. Unionized workers receive more generous health benefits than non-unionized workers, they also obtain better pension plans.
We can see that unionized workers enjoy as the result of union organization not only higher wages, but more and better benefits, more effective utilization of social insurance programs, as well as more holidays and overtime regulations. Unions have a substantial impact on the compensation and work lives of both unionized and non-unionized workers.
The weak points of Trade Unions:
Some trade union organizations are not able to negotiate with the government, on such matters as:
*lowering prices
*payment in public transport
*free dinners
*free kindergartens
*have no representatives in the parlament
*they are not united in branches of industries
*have got efficient leaders.
Analyzing the union effect, I have come to the conclusion that unions is a positive force, improving the performance of firms and contributing to economic growth, and can provide the unification of workers all over the world in solving global issues.
Professional workers are confronting increasing challenges to their careers, brought about by rapidly changing technology, the turbulent world economy and new work methods. Like so many other workers, professionals are forming unions to enhance their professional autonomy, to be involved in making the decisions that affect their careers and for greater professional and personal security.
ReplyDeleteFast facts on unions and professionals:
• The union movement is now 53 percent white collar.
• In the professional and related occupations, 18.6 percent of workers are union members, a higher proportion than the workforce in general.
• Employment in the professional and related occupations accounts for the largest share of 2008 employment: about 21 percent. These occupations are growing faster and adding more workers than any other major occupational category. While total U.S. employment is projected to grow 10.4 percent between 2006 and 2016, the growth for professional and technical workers is projected to be nearly 17 percent, or 5 million jobs.
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 1.7 million new professional and related jobs in the healthcare and social assistant sector; 1.1 million in educational services, and another 1 million in professional, science and technical services.
• More than 25 percent of all jobs in 2008 required a bachelor’s degree or higher. Fifteen of the 30 occupations expected to grow most rapidly between 2006 and 2016 generally require a bachelor’s degree or higher as their most significant source of education and training. Another seven occupations on the list typically require a postsecondary vocational award or an associate’s degree. Most of the 30 fastest occupations are professional and related.
Published by Oprea Marina EMREI 296
Essay "Labour relations"
ReplyDeleteCrasneanciuc Nina, EMREI 296.
Relations between employees and managers are called labour relations. In the big organizations it is very difficult to control all employees, process of their work, observe the working conditions. That's why managers need people, who can report to them. Trade unions (or labour unions) are organizations of workers, who are united to reach common goals in professional areas, sharing working conditions and etc. Trade unions protect the interests of employees, ensure their status, try to achieve adequate wages and optimal working hours. Also unions express the opinions of workers, represent the interests of the whole collective.
Trade unions can resolve the problems of unemployment, search to new the most applicable candidates and regulate the process of workflow.
Trade unions can provide to their members the possibility to present new ideas and to resort to researches for futher improving of their future working strategies and plans.
The immediate objectives and activities of trade unions may include:
* Provision of benefits to their members: Early trade unions had often provided a range of benefits to insure their members against unemployment, ill health, old age and funeral expenses. In many developed countries, these functions have been assumed by the state; however, the provision of professional training, legal advice and representation for members is still an important benefit of trade union membership.
* Collective bargaining: trade unions are able to operate openly and are recognized by employers, they may negotiate with employers on wages and working conditions.
* Industrial action: Trade unions may enforce strikes or resistance to lockouts in furtherance of particular goals.
* Political activity: Trade unions may promote legislation favorable to the interests of their members or workers as a whole. To this end they may pursue campaigns, undertake lobbying, or financially support individual candidates or parties.
But not all labour unions operate faithfully. Leders of unions take monthly payments from their members and don't distribute money for their purposes. If labour union takes payments, he must quarantees benefits, permits to the vacation, presents to holidays and etc.
Also if members of trade unions aren't satisfyed by some conditions of their work, they can make stoppage, and it can disturb ecomonic or political situation around.
Trade unions are an integral part of organizational working processes and managing of staff. Unions can help to make order in companies, to facilitate the work of managers and bring comprehension in relations between managers and subordinates.