Roles and responsibilities of trade union management essay. Where the public service is concerned for most of the countries, the legislation has many grey areas that raise questions as to the governments commitment and sincerity in extending bargaining and dispute settlement rights to public servants. The system of industrial relations functions in the context of an environment consisting of different subsystems. You can think of trade unions as your insurance policy for work.
Trade unions negotiate with employers on behalf of union members to agree wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety and other policies. History of trade unionism in zambia zambia daily mail. Third it estimates the effects of unions on relative wages. Literatures have highlighted various roles and functions of trade unions over the past years. In zambia, it appears a law that allows a trade or a sector to have more than one union has contributed to divide and rule approach in trade unionism. An analysis of union influence in zambias public sector southern. Trade union is any group or organisation of employees registered as a trade union under the industrial and labour relation act whose principal objectives are the representation and promotion of interests of the employees and regulation of relations between employees and employers. Zctu is the largest of the two federations in zambia. The importance and complex nature of trade unions have rendered them an important subject of investigation in a range of research fields card, lemieux and riddell, 2004. The zctu was created by the government to replace the former united trade union congress. These functions can be broadly classified into four categories i. Government of the republic of zambia chapter 269 industrial and labour relations an act to revise the law relating to trade unions, the zambia congress of trade unions, employers associations, the zambia federation of employers.
Inter union bodiesrepublic, krai, or oblast trade union councilsare created to guide the work of local trade union bodies. The organizations public campaign for the democratization of zambian politics, initiated in december 1989, culminated in the electoral defeat of the united. Trade unions, development, and democratization in zambia. Mar 26, 20 functions of trade unions as par as the trade union act 1926, to secure better wage and living condition for workers. The official policy document on employment in zambia is the national labour market and employment policy adopted in 2005. Historicaltrajectoryofpublicsectorunionsinzambiasthirdrepublic. Mainly, the challenges discussed here are related to. This policy was developed by the ministry of labour and social security with extensive consultation and involvement of stakeholders, including the zambia congress of trade unions zctu. Unions have a wider social role beyond simply the workplace and are essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy. It also seeks to examine the relationship between trade unionism and the actions of management.
Some of the most important functions of the trade union are as follows. Trade unions can raise wages if they are allinclusive and if it is difficult for employers to import blacklegs. Trade union successes in recent years, unions have campaigned. Parliament should enact relevant legislation to compel all employers to facilitate their respective workers to form or belong to a trade union of their choice. According to former zambia congress of trade unions zctu president leonard hikaumba, labour movements have played a critical role in the development of zambia. Preparation the role of trade unions in launching the policy process. Collective bargaining with the management to settle terms and conditions of employment. In few of the countries, trinidad as an example, finance and insurance is a major area in which collective agreements exist. The important basic functions of unions listed by national commission on labour are. The genesis of trade unionism in zambia dates back to the time of the start of mining on the copperbelt after huge deposits of copper were discovered in the region in the 1920s leading to. Role and functions of the trade unions under the new.
Functions of a trade union in industrial relations management. Information on trade unions in the caribbean has not been collected on a. Trade unions perform a number of functions in order to achieve the objectives. Click here for the annual survey of violations of trade unions rights in zambia for 2011. The role of teacher unions in the education sector bridge. The role and tasks of the trade unions under the conditions created by the new economic policy were examined at a plenary meeting of the c. Trade union roles and attitudes are normally a fluid mixture of support for or. The industrial and labour relations act arrangement of sections part i preliminary section 1. Trade unions also provide legal representation for workers, for example to win compensation in the event of an accident or injury at work. Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two or more trade unions. Currently in zambia, there are more than 80 trade unions registered by the.
A trade union is defined as an organization that workers teachers. Pdf trade union effectiveness in zambia harrison kaunda. Frederick chiluba was chairmangeneral of zctu 19741991. Increasing cooperation and wellbeing among workers ii. In the one party era, the trade unions through their only central organization, the zambia congress of trade unions had close affinity with the party, unip and participated in the various activities of the party such as the general confer ence and national council where party and. The trade union is a militant organisation designed to fight for the cause of the workers.
This study aims at finding out the effect of trade unionism on workers. The primary functions of a trade union are to protect, defend and support the common interests of members by acting as a mediator between workers and the organizations for whom they work. A trade union is an association of workers formed to protect the interest of workers. Fourth, it explores the extent to which unions are able to influence hours of work. In the first section, we will briefly discuss the history of trade unions, just to give the reader an idea of how it all started. The organizations public campaign for the democratization of zambian politics, initiated in december 1989, culminated in the electoral defeat of the united national independence party unip at the. Restoring the relevance of teacher unionism in zambia by pumulo mungoma. All the teacher unions in zambia are affiliated to the zambia congress of trade unions. Any organization or group of workers established to achieve one or more of the objectives stated in trade union act is considered to have formed a trade union and therefore must conform to all. Parliament should enact relevant legislation to compel all employers to facilitate their respective workers to. Pdf trade unions, development, and democratization in zambia. Trade union is any group or organisation of employees registered as a trade union under the industrial and labour relation act whose principal objectives are the representation and promotion of interests of the employees and regulation of relations between employees and. Second, it examines the determinants of who actually belongs to a trade union across oecd countries.
Rights of employees in respect of trade union membership and its activities 6. It was argued that having more than one trade union in a sector facilitates effective understanding of issues affecting specific workers in that sector. Find trade union expertise in zambia there are about 25 unions in zambia and the two main groupings are zambia congress of trade unions zctu and federation of free trade unions in zambia fftuz. Many trade unions also provide other benefits and discounts on services for their members. Advise the management on personnel policies and practices. Sector trade unions should initiate effective members recruitment drive in most organisations to ensure that all workers. It will also highlight other functions of trade unions that aim towards benefitting both organization and employees. These functions can be broadly classified into three categories. Discriminate against a worker on the grounds that he is a member of a union. May 16, 2012 unions have a wider social role beyond simply the workplace and are essential to the functioning of a healthy democracy. It interacts with the environment and the environment influences the functioning of the system. Broadly speaking, trade unions perform two types of functions. The first trade union in the united states was organized in 1794 in philadelphia by a group of shoemakers. The teacher development community of practice cop explored some themes on the topic, in the context of a presentation by duncan hindle, the former president of.
I national employment policies a guide for workers organisations ix contents the role of trade unions in the policy cycle quick overview v an overview of the role of trade unions in the policy cycle, stagebystage vi 3. An act to revise the law relating to trade unions, the zambia congress of trade. Establishing contacts between the workers and the employers iv. Workers symposium on the role of trade unions in workers education is part of that tradition. The years between 1989 and 1991 may be regarded as the period during which the zambia congress of trade unions zctu reached the height of its perceived influence in zambian politics. In the one party era, the trade unions through their only central organization, the zambia congress of trade unions had close affinity with the party, unip and participated in the various activities of the party such as the general confer ence and national council where party and government policies were mooted. One of the main aims of the organisation of workers into trade. Refuse to employ a person on the grounds that he is a member of a union. This policy was developed by the ministry of labour and social security with extensive consultation and involvement of stakeholders, including the zambia congress of. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society are also discussed in this section.
Where the public service is concerned for most of the countries, the legislation has many grey areas that raise questions as to the governments commitment and sincerity in extending. It is the purpose of this chapter to consider the historical development of trade union law and practice in zambia in so far as they have a bearing on the present day trade union status. Functions of trade unions as par as the trade union act 1926, to secure better wage and living condition for workers. Trade unions are distinctive organisations whose role can be variously interpreted and understood by different interest groups in the society. The roles and functions of trade unions business essay. Zambia congress of trade unions, trade unions, zambia. The highest bodies of branch trade unions are the unions congresses and the central committees elected by the congresses. In accordance with the zambian constitution draft bill of rights, workers have the right to form, join or participate in the activities and programmes of a trade union. Zambia congress of trade unions zctu is the dominant central trade union federation in zambia. To take welfare measure to improve the morale of workers. Trade union in zambia role of workers union, labour.
It is not possible to list all of them here, but we do certainly make mention of some of them. It was formed by an act of parliament in 1965 and has 33 affiliate unions representing over 400 000 workers. Challenges facing trade unions in the modern society the. Objectives, function, formation, regulation, rights and liabilities. In some countries, especially the larger countries, quarrying and mining are areas covered. Trade union p lay g reat role in safeguarding employees from any form of discrimination or hara ssment in. Functions of trade unions in the republic of china. To achieve higher wages and better working conditions. Trade union administration international labour organization. Collective bargaining and labour disputes resolution is. To provide confidence to workers to imbibe sincerity and discipline in workers. Currently the zctu represents about thirtysix 36 affiliated national unions operating in various sector of the economy. Teacher unions are a vital stakeholder in education. Africa, the united republic of tanzania, zambia and zimbabwe.
We may note certain implications of wage fixation by trade unions. Trade unions and democracy in zambia democracy in africa. Zambia congress of trade unions zctu publish what you. South african trade unions in recent years have been particularly vocal in their demands for unionised workers and indeed in their opinions on economic issues in south. Zambia congress of trade unions zctu, effected policy changes. While trade unions should remain interested in matters of democracy and good governance, as zambia has demonstrated from preindependence, we find it unacceptable to be the ones to demonise what.
Zctu has been running programmes on extractive industries and corporate social responsibility, especially sponsored by the netherlands institute for southern. Times of zambia role of trade unions in work places. Zambia that are aimed at improving the efficiency of trade unions and the quality of labor relations. The draft of the decision on the trade unions adopted by the c. There are 9 main functions of a trade union, which are as follow. The zambia congress of trade unions zctu was established in 1965 through an act of parliament. Put a condition in a contract of employment preventing an employee joining a trade union. The final part presents some conclusions and policy recommendations. A person must not be compelled to join a union and the parliament must provide the legislation for the registration of associations. Trade unions are voluntary association of either employees or employer or independent worker. Trade union achieve its objectives through collective action and group efforts.
By imposing a high wage on the employers, a trade union pay prevent undue expansion of an industry when the only attraction. However, in modern period, the various functions are performed by trade unions as pointed out below. Trade union members are free to determine their own administration, programmes and activities. Currently the zctu represents about thirtysix 36 affiliated national unions operating in. Militant functions one set of activities performed by trade unions leads to the betterment of the position of their members in relation to their employment. These two federations at times unite to strengthen the workers sociopolitical representation and the labour union movement on the whole. Functions of a trade union in industrial relations. Amongst the various activities performed by trade unions is the betterment of the position of their members in relation to their employment. Trade union services and benefits in africa edited by. Until 1993, the zctu was the sole umbrella organisation of trade unions in the country.
Trade unions working for the progress of the employees v. Over the past few years they have played an increasing role in teacher development and the debates around the professionalisation of teachers. Trade unions performs a number of functions in order to achieve the objectives. Political functions militant revolutionary functions 1. Evidence from a tradeunion led intervention in zambia. Role and functions of the trade unions under the new economic. Whether temporary or permanent, primarily for the purpose of regulating the relations between workers and employers or between workers for imposing restrictive conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and includes the federations of two. What are the functions of zambia congress of trade union. Trade unions and the informal economy in zambia epub bayreuth.
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