What are unions and why do people join them?

Uniting with others

There’s a clue in the word itself. Union is a word that describes bringing people together over a specific cause or event. When it comes to the world of work, unions support people in their place of work – but, crucially, they exist as a separate body.

What kind of jobs have unions?

Many different job roles have some sort of union that exists to represent them. But, unions are more common in some industries than others.

For example, people who work in the health and social sector are very likely to be a part of a union. It’s usually encouraged within the industry to do so.

It varies from industry to industry. But, if you find you work somewhere where very few people seem to be in a union, that doesn’t mean it isn’t an option for you. It’s always worth researching to find out more.

But why should you join a union?

Now this is when you might be asking, why would you want to sign up to a union?

Unions began during the industrial revolution, something you may have learnt about in school. They were created to protect the rights of workers, and roughly 250 years later unions are still working to ensure that people are being treated fairly in the workplace.

Advocacy and improving conditions

Unions act as the wider voice of the employees. Unfortunately, there are occasions where employees may be treated unfairly by their employers. Being part of a union is one way of making sure your voice is heard.

You might feel happy at work and have no complaints. But your union might identify issues within your workplace that you might not be aware of. Rates of pay, and the treatment of employees in general, are things that unions assess.

You might not be aware that you’re not being treated unfairly until it’s pointed out to you. This is why unions are important.

Unions frequently negotiate with employers for things like better pay or argue for fairer working conditions.

Job security

Being part of a union could offer you protection from being fired unfairly, sometimes called “unfair dismissal”. This could either be that the reasons why you were let go from your job weren’t fair, or that your employer didn’t follow the law when they dismissed you. In either case, a union may be able to fight your corner.

This goes beyond dealing with individual cases. Unions are involved in ensuring that policies and procedures that would impact the job security of workers are not put in place.

Workplace safety

As we mentioned, unions were formed around the same time as the industrial revolution. Many people were seriously hurt or killed because of the work they had to do during this time.

There are many jobs today that can be dangerous to the health and wellbeing of ourselves and others.

This could be something like handling heavy machinery and not being kept safe. Or being left in charge of too many patients on a hospital ward. It could even be being pressured to work too much.

There are many things that constitute an unsafe workplace. Being part of a union can help you know your rights, and they can even speak up on your behalf.

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