Trade Union Revitalization in Europe and North America - Essay Example

?Running head: Trade Union Revitalization in Europe and North America. Number: Due Trade Union Revitalization in Europe and North America Revitalization is the act of reviving or renewing of a given condition that was at one time functioning but declined as time passed by. In our essay below, we are going to argue how trade unions were revitalized in Europe and North America. (Trif 2008) A trade union is also referred to as a labor union. It is formed by workers of a given organization who come up together to set common goals and objectives which are mostly concerned with how to improve their welfare in their respective organizations. Trade unions have their own leadership structures that govern their day to day operations in ensuring that they do achieve their set goals and objectives. One of the key roles of the leadership of these trade unions is to negotiate with the respective employers to favor the interests of the members of that particular trade union. Mostly they bargain about how the employer is expected to improve the working conditions of its employees and also labor contracts. These labor contracts may include the procedures to be followed in recruitment of new staff members and dismissal of any existing employee, terms of wages and so on. (Phelan 2006) Trade unions originated from Europe before spreading to other countries all over the world. In the past, they were not in existence but due to the fact that employers were taking advantage of their unskilled employees by underpaying them and misusing them in their work places trade unions were formed. They became very popular with the employees of various organizations worldwide due to the various benefits derived from them. Trade unions have the power to take any relevant industrial action such as strike if their negotiated demands are not adhered to by the respective authorities. Even though trade unions originated from Europe, the effects of neo-liberal turn has greatly affected the functioning and power of trade unions in the developed countries and especially in Europe and north America in the yester years. High labor mobility is another core factor that has affected the functioning of trade unions in Europe and North America. There has been a variety of strategies developed by the trade unions in these respective countries to try and address the major factors affecting the functioning and powers. These strategies are aimed at ensuring that these trade unions remain for the interest of its workers. Most discussions have been held by various trade unions in Europe and North America to discuss the most viable strategies to solve the problem of increasing labor mobility that has become a threat to the trade unions. One of these strategies that is mostly applicable in North America and Europe is trade union organizing. This strategy was developed in the United States of America before it spread to other countries in America. This strategy mostly stressed the true, fair and known strategies to be applied in the respective organizations when conducting the recruitment and selection of new staff members and also the strategies to be followed when empowering the existing employees in that organization (Milkma & Kim 2004) Despite the benefits associated with the trade union organizing, there has been serious debate in the North America and Europe as to whether this strategy is the best to bring about revitalization in the trade unions found in organizations located in Europe and North America. In our essay we shall bring out the argument and conclude whether there is trade union revitalization in Europe and North America by assessing the major discussion in progress which aims to compare the organizing strategy with neo liberal regime. Unlike other earlier studies that discussed revitalization of trade unions, this essay focuses on the inter relationship that exists between the strategies chosen by the leaders of these trade unions in their given organizations and the opportunities that may exist due to lack of barriers in the political, social and economic framework. This essay concentrates on first giving information obtained from various research sources conducted in the European and North American countries. This proved that the success of trade unions was determined mostly by effective recruitment strategies, empowerment strategies, coalitions with nongovernmental organizations, enhancing workers meetings and so on. The researches conducted proved that these strategies were mostly applicable in organizational conditions of the trade unions in North America particularly the United States of America. From the research it has been found that most of the trade unions projects in the Europe and North America have declined with a high percentage instead of their revitalization. The researches have indicated that those individuals advocating for trade union revitalization are people who get paid for their involvement in the trade unions. Those that criticize the trade union organizing argue that there is a serious conflict that arises between the trade union organizing and the trade union resources when the individuals in the fore front of advocating trade union revitalization get paid. These trade union resources include infrastructural resources, narrative resources, and trade union solidarity and so on. (Heery & Simms 2008). The campaigns for the trade unions were led by students from the left wing activists and the labor leaders, who used the trade unions resources as stated above to conduct their entire campaigns which consumed large sums of money. If the organizing model was to be adopted then this would mean withdrawal from catering for the existing employees and concentrating on the new staff that was being recruited in the given organizations. This has led to a very major opposition to the trade union leaders from the existing staff members of the trade union because they hesitate to hand over their resources in an attempt of organizing the unorganized. This aspect brings out very strong debate on trade union revitalization in Europe and North America based on the organizing strategy approach. Despite this, there is some evidence on the adoption of the organizing strategy particularly in Europe. The benefits of the organizing strategy are more in trade unions where membership is highly recognized and where the trade unions are mainly aimed at addressing workers’ interests in their respective workplaces unlike in other markets where trade unions are mostly influenced by political and social systems hence do not seriously embrace the organizing strategy. This declining membership of employees is not having major impact on the survival of the organization in the long run. They try their level best to cut down the cost of recruiting new staff into their organization by avowing the procedures that are set down by the organized strategy. The strategies used for revitalization in the North America and Europe are similar. This is because of the similar institutional features that the organizations in these respective countries share. The revitalization of trade unions first began in the North America and it was very rare in the European countries in the 1990s. This revitalization was very vital because trade unions were finding it hard to govern the diverse cultural differences especially in multinationals companies. Also the different institutional structures gave them a hard time and this facilitated the development of revitalization under the organizing strategy. The ineffectiveness of trade unions can be traced from various theories which explain how the trade unions which depended on the state of their respective country got a limited capacity to represent the interest of their employees fully from any industrial conflict that could have arisen. The theories argue that the trade union structures established in Europe were concerned mainly with the political and economic frameworks and did not favor the issue of own growth. The approaches that criticize the organizing strategy mainly use the early systems which are not relevant as communism ended decades ago. So far in our argument of whether there is a trade union revitalization in the Europe and north America it is evident that the organizing strategy is the most applicable and suitable strategy to be applied by the respective trade unions in renewing themselves so that they can look at the interests of the workers at large. (Fairbrother, et al. 2003) In the past trade unions were seen as residual organizations. But this is not the true fact as trade unions in the 21st century have tried there level best to ensure that they are always developing strategies that should enable unorganized workers to become organized in their new work places. Trade union growth is affected by various factors such as the outflow of membership from their organization, the trade unions incorporating themselves among the European Union institutions and so on. As ascertained from the various research data, strategies for recruitment in the membership to the trade unions were chiefly formed in the European countries to solve this problem of membership outflow that was becoming a major threat to the revitalization of trade unions in Europe. Economic unionism strategy to the revitalization of trade unions in Europe and North America was greatly criticized by critics who claimed that trade unions should concentrate on meeting the short term interests of their workers before they could try involving themselves in any other matters affecting the welfare of their members. The critics preferred that the trade unions remain narrow instead of them developing strategies to attempt their revitalization. The multinational companies also have deployed the trade union revitalization in the recruitment of their new staff members into their respective organizations under the company centered strategies. As it is evident from the above context that there are a number of various strategies that can be adopted by the trade unions in the European and North American countries in achieving their revitalization. But above all, organizing strategy remains the best. (Gajewska, et al. 2009). Among the European countries that had trade unions that attempted all their best to develop strategies that will ensure revitalization of trade unions in Europe is Poland. It was one of the first European countries to experience a high labor movement that was not dependent on the state resources. This increasing labor movement in Poland made the density of the trade unions in Poland fall by 12 percent. This made Poland be viewed as a concentrated neoliberal system which was the greatest system that opposed the organizing strategy that aimed at bringing revitalization to the trade unions in Poland. The respective trade unions opened a union development office to facilitate the growth and renewal of trade unions in Poland. This union development office is mostly concerned with the employment of professional staff to run the affairs of the regional trade unions in Poland. Another country in the Europe that experienced a major downfall of the trade unions is Slovenia. It was doing very well in terms of labor organizations politically and economically. That is until their trade unions started to be incorporated in the institutions of the European Union which greatly affects the growth of trade unions as we earlier stated in our essay above. Their trade union density fell by 13 percent. The other factor that led the trade unions to fall in Slovenia republic according to Gall (2009) is the membership outflow from the respective trade unions, since they were incapable to cater for the interests of their workers. Slovenia was viewed as neo liberal regime but with time Slovenia came to realize the factors that contributed to the downfall of their trade unions and the respective trade unions are taking the relevant measures to ensure that they adopt effective strategies that will bring the revitalization in their trade unions. One of the ways they are doing this is by seeking support from their respective government in increasing the awareness of trade unions by the public in Slovenia through massive campaigns and also seeking financial support from financial institutions such European social fund. (Clarke, 2005) In the remaining part of our essay we shall look in detail at the mechanism that the trade union uses to achieve revitalization in Europe. Europe chose their symbol referred to as automotive sector to determine any tension or development that may arise internally. This system was developed because of the great consequences that the European countries experienced out of trade unionism. Automotive companies from the past have been known to have workers who are very resistant to the administrative powers. Also the automotive companies are facilitating trade union revitalization as there are attempts witnessed as their respective trade unions embracing the organizing strategy that we stated earlier is the best strategy that the European and North American countries are using to achieve revitalization in their trade unions. Some of the methodologies that are being used to determine how trade unions are achieving revitalization are through conducting interviews with the leadership of the respective major trade unions. The other methodology that is being used is choosing companies where trade unions have been formed in the period when the organization strategy was being employed by the given company or through the revitalization period of the existing trade unions. The interviews conducted at the various levels with the different trade union leaders from the major trade unions proved that the companies that are located in the automotive sector in Europe are undergoing serious revitalization to better the interests of their workers. The trade union leaders are well familiar with the factors that cause their trade unions to fall in terms of their density which we have discussed in our essay above and also they are well familiar with the relevant applicable strategies that they can use to solve the threats and effects, which may accrue to their trade unions, and how they can revitalize their trade unions if they fall. Also the research conducted in some of the companies that have their trade unions formed in the period of revitalization and when the organizing strategy is being used to prove that most of the trade unions in Europe and North America are being revitalized to ensure that they meet they meet their goals and objectives which are mainly to improve the welfare of their members in their respective companies (Bohle, et al. 2007). We have looked in detail at the definitions of revitalization, the definition of trade unions, how the trade unions play an important role in the organizations all over the world. We discussed the origin of trade unions, how they came to decline in their capacity to protect the interests of their members, strategies that the respective trade unions are using to bring about revitalization in them, the criticisms that are being raised towards these strategies of facilitating revitalization in the trade unions in the European and North American countries, the countries in Europe that have been affected by the declining density of trade unions and how they have started employing revitalization in their respective trade unions. Lastly we have discussed the given mechanisms that have been used in the research to prove that there are European and North American companies where trade unions are revitalized. This strong debate concludes that there is trade revitalization in Europe and North America (Bernaciak 2010). References Bernaciak, M. (2010), Cross-Border Competition and Trade Union Responses in the Enlarged EU: Evidence from the Automotive Industry in Germany and Poland. European Journal of Industrial Relations 16 (2): 119-35. Bohle, D. Thee, B. Greskovits, D., (2007), Neoliberalism, Embedded Neoliberalism, and Neocorporatism: Paths towards Transnational Capitalism in Central-Eastern Europe. West European Politics 30 (3): 443-66. Clarke, S. (2005), Post-Socialist Trade Unions: China and Russia. Industrial Relations Journal 36 (1): 2-18. Fairbrother, B. Peter, C. & Yates, A. B., (2003), Unions in Crisis, Unions in Renewal? In PeterFairbrother and Charlotte A.B. Yates (eds.) Trade Unions in Renewal. A Comparative Study. London: Rutledge, pp. 1-31. Gajewska, K. & Niesyto, J., (2009), "Organizing campaigns as 'revitaliser' for trade unions? The Example of the Lid campaign." Industrial Relations Journal 40(2): 156- 171. Gall, G. (2009), 'Union Organizing' - Past, Present and Future. In Greg or Gall (ed.) the Future of Union Organizing. Building for Tomorrow. Hound mills: Palgrave, pp. 1-9. Heery, E. and M. Simms (2008), "Constraints on union organizing in the United Kingdom." Industrial Relations Journal 39(1): 24-42. Milkma, R. & Kim, V. (2004), Introduction. In Ruth Milkman; Kim Voss (eds.) Rebuilding Labor. Organizing and Organizers in the New Union Movement. Ithaca: ILR Press, pp. 1-16. Phelan, C. (2006), Worldwide Trends and Prospects for Trade Union Revitalization. In Craig Phelan (ed.) Trade Union Revitalization. Trends and Prospects in 34 Countries. Oxford: Peter Lang, pp. 11-38. Trif, A. (2008), Opportunities and Challenges of EU Accession: Industrial Relations in Romania. European Journal of Industrial Relations 14 (4): 461-78. Read More