Trade unions
A trade union is an association of workers in a particular industry or sector, designed to protect the rights, interests and working conditions of employees. Large trade unions in the UK include the TUC, Unite, Unison, the GMB and Usdaw.
Trade unions can receive recognition, or employers can derecognise trade unions. Employment laws protecting employees taking industrial action, such as taking part in strikes or picketing, are contained in the Employment Rights Act 1996 and Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Lyons retires from the TUC den
This week, Roger Lyons retires as TUC president after 38 years as a trade unionist. He tells Personnel Today what the future holds for trade unions and why the trade union movement could soon be stronger than ever
Trust is the key for retail giant
Tesco has become the country's leading retailer by putting its faith in its people and the unions that represent them. The result? A dynamic workplace that delivers quality service to its customers while at the same time bringing in the revenue.
Facing NHS problems head-on
Andrew Foster, HR director at the NHS, talks to Mike Berry about managing vast numbers in the world's third largest workforce
Dispensing with the disposable
Long-term relationships at work are back in vogue as employers tire of the disposable workforce. Or so the facts suggest
All aboard
Underlying the changes has been a more open approach to communication between all levels and departments. Whereas information had been...
Bigger numbers add up for finance union
This summer, financial services union Unifi merges with Amicus to create one of the UK's biggest trade unions. Michael Millar asks Unifi's joint general secretary, Rory Murphy, about the impact this will have on employers and on the future of the unions
Retail therapy
UK companies will soon have to set up works councils and consult employees before organisational changes are made – a...
Transfer trivia
Is the Code of Practice on public sector staff transfers really preventing two-tier workforces?
Does union recovery signal end to decades of decline?
While a slight upturn in membership numbers has given unions hope for a revival, fear of the 'awkward squad' could ensure that this is only a blip in a long downward slope to oblivion.
US union busters land in UK
The shadow of European interference still dominates in the media despite the recent appearance of US 'union busters'
Supermarket giant checks out
Safeway's HR director, Rebecca Ivers, talks exclusively to Personnel Today about the supermarket chain's much-publicised merger with rival Morrisons, and the challenges it presented for the HR department
Driving home equality
Bowing to pressure from its trade unions, BMW Group’s once strike-ridden Oxford plant agreed to take a partnership approach to...
Trade union representation
In this series, we delve into the XpertHR reference manual to find essential information relating to one of our features. This month's topic is employment rights for...
Forward thinking
In 2003, British trade unions made their voices heard on a number of different issues. Trades Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber outlines the 2004 agenda
United we stand
Is the UK standing at the brink of a new wave of industrial action with unions gaining new powers and...
Entries are now open. But don’t delay – as the closing date for submissions will be Friday 03 July.
