Trade union organizations in the past and present

The functioning of the modern economy is provided by millions of people engaged in it. They have their own economic and social interests, which can come into conflict with the interests of other members of society.

What it is

Trade union organizations unite hired workers on a sectoral or professional basis to protect their economic rights. As workers operate in a constantly changing economic, technological, social landscape, their legal status is constantly experiencing the associated pressure. Economic crises threaten to reduce wages. Social changes lead to a reduction in jobs. Without working together to protect and strengthen their rights, a wage worker risks becoming the most vulnerable participant in economic relations.

History of creation

The tradition of creating unions on a production principle goes back to the time of feudalism. Shop associations can be represented as a forerunner of trade unions. Despite the fundamental difference, these forms solved similar problems. The first trade union organizations created to protect the rights of wage workers were founded in the 19th century in England. This country was experiencing an industrial revolution, which led to the emergence of a significant stratum of the industrial proletariat in British society. At the same time, relations with the growing social environment continued to be based on archaic, semi-feudal attitudes, which inevitably led to social conflict. Trade union organizations, called trade unions in England, facilitated the search for a compromise between wage workers and employers, allowing them to solve problems without social upheavals.

Trade Unions in Russia

With the development of industrial production in the Russian Empire, trade union organizations also began to be created. For example, the trade union of railway workers, called VICZHEL, had considerable political weight and had powerful economic levers to protect the rights of railway workers. Pre-revolutionary trade unions closely interacted with political parties of a socialist type and were a serious political force. In Soviet times, trade unions were completely controlled by the state. At all enterprises, there were primary trade union organizations that were part of the all-union association - the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. During this period, the trade unions practically lost not only political significance, but also other functions, having become the distributors of social assistance from the state.

Modern trade union organizations

With the end of the existence of the Soviet Union, the era of Soviet trade unions also ended. The fall of production, hyperinflation, mass unemployment, led to a significant lumpenization of the industrial proletariat and put hired workers in extremely strict dependence on employers. The restoration of the trade union movement began at the turn of the millennium, together with a change in the economic course of Russia. Today in the Russian Federation there are several large trade unions, in which workers of different economic profiles are united. The largest structure to date is the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia, which unites thirty-seven million workers. Despite its scale, FNPR is not a monopolist in the trade union movement, which is represented by several other large associations. Russian trade unions, in addition to their daily activities to ensure workers' rights, were marked by several strikes that seriously affected the negotiating positions of employers.

Primary trade union organizations

At the heart of trade unions are primary organizations in production and institutions. It is they who carry out the main work to protect the rights of their members, to organize a dialogue with the administration and authorities. Their tasks include the conclusion of collective agreements with the management of enterprises, which regulate and determine the rights and obligations of the signatories, mechanisms for interaction and resolution of conflict situations. Primary trade union organizations also monitor how the administration ensures safety at work, compliance with sanitary standards.

The importance of trade unions

In addition to directly protecting the interests of workers, trade unions perform the most important function of the side of social dialogue. Having a hierarchical structure of representation, primary structures are united in the regional trade-union organizations which enter into larger ones. For example, trade union organizations in Moscow are able to act as a serious party to negotiations, not only at the city, but also at the federal level. Trade unions actively participate in the development and adjustment of labor legislation. They raise questions concerning the regulation of the labor market. They actively participate in the formation of the country's social policy. The effectiveness of trade unions is directly related to the lowering of the level of social tensions in the state, with the adaptation of workers to the changed conditions of the economy. Democratic society relies not only on political parties, but also on public structures, which include trade union organizations. The reports of sociologists studying social processes show that, despite some infantilism and weakness, the trade unions are coping successfully with their tasks.