Unions fight to secure better pay and conditions for workers, but they can also benefit employers

By Emma Sara Hughes, Lecturer in Human Resource Management, University of Liverpool

Over the past century, unions have successfully campaigned for a minimum wage, holiday and sickness pay, equal opportunity rights, maternity and paternity rights and a two-day weekend for British workers, among other benefits.

With more than 40,000 UK rail workers participating in the recent very visible strike action, discussions about why people might want to join a trade union have tended to focus on improving pay and working…

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