Advantages And Disadvantages Of Trade Unions In Zimbabwe

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INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Trade or labour unions can by described as organized groupings of wage and salary earners with the purpose of bringing to bear the economic, social and political interests of their members in labour relations and the political system. As a new type of organisation trade unions emerged during industrialisation in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. From trade organisations of highly qualified skilled workers (e.g. printers) they later developed into more comprehensive organisations of the rapidly growing industrial proletariat, mainly in the big industry, (Adler, G. and E. Webster, 2000).On the other hand the Amsden,(2008:49) defines a trade union as “a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose…show more content…
Trade unions in Zimbabweare experiencing a decrease in their membership as their value in the economy has decreased and the trade unions are not recruiting more members. This is because many employees are not willing to join unions although they are ready to enjoy the benefits arising out of the union actions. The reasons for the hesitation of employees to join unions in Zimbabwe include, among others, the need to take part in strikes and such other programmes, political affiliation, fear of punishment, poor representation by the trade unions and poor leadership in the unions.In this case trade unions in Zimbabwe are fighting an uphill battle. Their already weak economic power position is further eroding through the continued decline in formal employment and the respective loss of members. Moreover, their political possibilities of influencing policy decisions have also been reduced in a labour-unfriendly policy environment, marked by the neo-liberal doctrine of the International Financial…show more content…
Workers have questioned the logic in parting with subscriptions in a period when wages are being continuously eroded. A depleted financial base has curtailed outreach programs for trade unions in Zimbabwe, which could have galvanized the recruitment of more membership. Trade unions in Zimbabwe are facing problemsthrough the effect of high unemployment. This is because the high unemploymenthas made every formal job appear to be a privilege, such that it is curbing the fighting spirit of workers to an extent that even massive real wage losses, deteriorating working conditions and the decline of worker rights are tolerated without real resistance over a long period of time. When the labor conflicts occasionally occur, the affected employers can generally count on the understanding of the authorities and even their active support, if so
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