"Union n.1. The condition of being united, the act of uniting, or a conjunction formed by such an act. 2. An association, alliance, or confederation of individuals or groups for a common purpose, esp. political."

When talking of the subject of Industrial Relations, the type of union that is most prevalent is that of a trade union. This main focus of this essay will be to define what a trade union is, outline its main functions and define why employees join trade unions.

Conflict is an important word when one thinks of Industrial Relations. It can be argued that conflict is everywhere and inevitable in today's society. When one looks at workplace conflict, it can be broken down. On one side there is the employers, and on the other side, the employees. But taking a closer look reveals that there is more than meets the eyes. In today's workplace, conflict consists of employer's associations, employers, government, employees and unions. This essay will focus on the employees' side of conflict and more notably, the trade unions that the employees join. The essay will explain what the trade unions do, the benefits the employees' get out of trade unions and

The fourth reason that employees join unions is because unions are seen to understand the plight of their workers. In a union, the members are made up of the workers, and the leader is usually voted by the members, therefore, the interests of the workers will be understood.

The second benefit is that of security. Today, finding a job is becoming increasingly difficult and an employee likes to feel that the job the employee has is secure. If the employee joins a union, the union will be able to provide the employee with this security. The union achieves this security by having the power to talk to the employer and being able to provide assistance (legal or financial).

The first section of this essay will be to provide the basic functions of trade unions. "Traditionally, trade unions have used a variety of means to pursue the interests of their members - direct negotiations with employers, system of conciliation and arbitration and various kinds of direct industrial action" (Mitchell & Rosewarne 1982: pg.188) This essay will explain the following functions; selective benefits, collective bargaining, arbitration, legal or political actions.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1787
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)