Discuss What You Think Are the Key Reasons Why Employees Form Unions. Back Up Your Arguments with Facts

Discuss what you think are the key reasons why employees form unions. Back up your arguments with facts.

If employees believe they do not get what they need from their employer, they often turn to unions in hopes of achieving some sort of equitable treatment. One of the main reasons why employees form unions is because they feel that they are being treated unfairly. Taking an example from the last week discussion post we had about performance management issues and how to deal with them, employees can form a union if they think that they were not treated well during the disciplinary process. They may feel that the process was subject to favoritism or if they feel that they did not deserve the disciplinary action, it is possible that they may form a union.

All employees seek for a high paying job and therefore if the employees think that they are being underpaid or just getting the minimum wage, they are subject to form unions. The employees after joining unions put pressure on their employers to have a higher pay.  They also expect healthcare benefits as well as pension benefits when they form a union.  To avoid this, the employer should consistently do a wage survey to see what others in the industry are offering and offer their employees the same in order to satisfy the employees so they don’t form a union.

Staff at a Taco Bell/KFC in Winnipeg has unionized, becoming the first such franchise to do so in the company's history in Canada. The main issues staff wants to remedy relates to health and safety and wages, Syed, an employee at the franchise, said that the employees are not getting paid a living wage currently. There is also an unfair distribution of benefits at the moment, Syed added.

Some employees join unions because of the union-shop provisions of the collective agreement, which specify that union membership is a condition of employment. Some employees may also seek unionization if they are subjected to hazardous or unsafe working conditions. Unions promote themselves as being able to secure more safety training, resulting in fewer workplace accidents. A union contract gives employees the immediate right to insist on a safe work environment. Employers who address safety issues and actively support safer working conditions for their workers are better suited to counter the inevitable union promise to create a "safer" workplace.