Trade Union
The collective through which workers bargain as one to raise wages and defend conditions against employer power.
Purpose
A trade union exists to correct the imbalance of power between an individual worker and an employer by letting workers act collectively. Alone, a worker who demands more can simply be replaced; together, workers can withhold their labour and negotiate as an equal. The union bargains over wages, hours, safety and job security, enforces the resulting agreement, and represents members in disputes and grievances. Beyond the workplace it channels workers' collective voice into politics, lobbying for labour law and a wider social wage.
Structure — organs & roles
General membership
The dues-paying workers whose numbers and solidarity are the union's ultimate power.
Congress / general meeting
The supreme body that sets policy, adopts the constitution and elects leaders.
Executive committee & officers
The elected leadership that runs the union and directs bargaining strategy.
Shop stewards / workplace reps
Frontline members who represent colleagues day to day and enforce the agreement.
Bargaining & legal department
Professional negotiators and lawyers who conduct talks and handle disputes.
Strike / hardship fund
Reserves that sustain members financially during industrial action.
Inputs & Outputs
Inputs
- Members and the dues they pay.
- Solidarity and the credible threat of collective action.
- Legal rights to organise and bargain granted by labour law.
- Information on pay, profits and conditions across the sector.
Outputs
- Collective bargaining agreements setting pay and conditions.
- Grievance representation and dispute resolution for members.
- Strikes, work-to-rule and other industrial action.
- Political advocacy for labour rights and social protection.
Mandate & Incentives
Mandate
A trade union's mandate flows from its members: it is authorised to represent and bargain on their behalf, usually formalised by recognition from an employer or by law. Labour statutes protect the right to organise, to bargain collectively and, within limits, to strike, while imposing duties such as fair representation of all covered workers. Where a union holds exclusive bargaining rights, it must represent everyone in the unit, member or not. Its legitimacy rests on internal democracy — leaders and mandates renewed by member vote.
Incentives
A union's strength depends on membership density and unity, so it is driven to recruit widely and to prevent free-riding by non-members who enjoy negotiated gains. Leaders face incentives both to deliver visible wins and to preserve the organisation's finances and legal standing, which can make them cautious about risky strikes. There is a recurring tension between the militancy that mobilises members and the moderation that sustains a working relationship with employers. Political alliances bring resources but also risk tying the union's fortunes to a party.
Powers & Instruments
- Bargaining collectively over wages, hours and conditions.
- Calling strikes and other lawful industrial action.
- Representing members in grievances, discipline and dismissal.
- Enforcing collective agreements against the employer.
- Lobbying and campaigning for pro-labour law and policy.
Checks & Failure modes
Checks
- Labour law regulating recognition, ballots and lawful strikes.
- Internal democracy — election of officers and strike ballots.
- The employer's ability to resist, replace or relocate.
- Duty of fair representation owed to all covered workers.
Failure modes
- Leadership that grows detached from or corrupt toward members.
- Falling density that erodes bargaining power.
- Capture by employers or the state (yellow unionism).
- Insider protection for existing members at outsiders' expense.
- Overreach that provokes automation or offshoring of the jobs.
Real examples
Key terms
- Collective bargaining
- Negotiation between a union and employer over the terms of employment.
- Strike
- A collective, coordinated withdrawal of labour to press demands.
- Shop steward
- An elected workplace representative of the union's members.
- Union density
- The share of eligible workers who belong to a union.
- Closed / union shop
- An arrangement requiring or favouring union membership for employment.
- Grievance
- A formal complaint that the employer has breached the agreement.