What are unions? What do they do? Why?

Trade union renewal, union self-reform and similar issues are hot on the agenda for young trade unionists.What kind of union do we want for the 21st century and beyond?

Union members, many of them young members, have been thinking about the relevance of unions. The majority believe that unions are relevant - especially so in these times. But then they comment on the qualities that they want to see in their unions. They want unions to defend their rights - at work and in the community. They want to see their unions with stronger voices and influence in national, regional and international arenas.

Some leaders and members say that their unions need to be more "business like". And some talk about business unionism. What are the different models of unionism and what do you want your union to look like?

According to an article from the New Unionism Network, Buiness unionism is

"Business unionism restricts itself to servicing members, rather than helping them organize themselves. It pursues straightforward goals such as higher wages and improvements in hours and working conditions. Such an approach leaves enterprise-level decisions to management, and largely ignores wider social goals. Unions such as this often tend to operate as commercial entities themselves, rather than member-driven organisations. Often they are financially dependent on income generated by deals on discounted retail goods and services. Business unionism has had difficulty adjusting to a globalised economy and labor market, and has been in general decline since the 1950s."

Read more at  Unions 101.

As a trade union member and activist in the Caribbean, what do you think about all this? JDo we need a new unionism?





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