Are trade unions increasingly becoming irrelevant in the world of

HRM ?

Historically

Origin

Upswing

Decline

Industr

ialRevolut

ion

Number of unions % change over previous period

1900 1323 -

1910 1269 -4.1

1920 1384 +9.1

1930 1133 -18.1

1940 1004 -11.4

1950 732 -27.1

1960 664 -9.3

1970 543 -18.2

1980 438 -19.3

1990 287 -34.5

1995 238 -17.1

Number of trade unions in the UK, 1900-95

Steepest Decline 1/3

Increase wages for its membersLegal compensation

Collective Strength

Specific services for the sector you work in

Advantages

What are the disadvantages of Trade Unions ?

Majority rules

Wage inflation

Create unemployment

Ignore non-members

Modern unions

UNITE – 2 million

UNISON – 1.4 million

RMT – 80 thousand

Nowadays

British Airways cabin crew

Future of the trade unions

Blyton,P. & Turnbull,P. The Dynamics of Employee Relation, Palgrave : 1998 (p.130)

J. Bratton and J. Gold, Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 4th edition, 2007)

Verma, A. and Kochan, T.A (2004) ‘Unions in 21st century An international perspective’, Published by Palgrave Macmillan

Indiresan P. V., ‘Trade unions: Retaining their relevance’, Jun 16, 2003, [Online] Available at:

http://www.hinduonnet.com/businessline/2003/06/16/stories/2003061600060800.htm

Thank you !

Group Presentation : Stefan DoykinDimitar TodorovAntonio Mladenov