A union is a workers association whose purpose is to defend the labor rights of the sector they represent and promote initiatives, projects and laws of interest to them.
Unions are associations that are freely formed, whether they are workers in the public or private sector. This principle of freedom in its constitution, recognized as a right, guarantees autonomy with respect to the interests of the employer.
Thus constituted, the union represents the workers of the sector and defends them from the labor abuses of the employer, whether public or private, to which they are exposed.
Origin of unions
From a legal point of view, unions appeared in the 19th century after the development of the Industrial Revolution. They have their precedent in the figure of the guildswhich were groups of artisans very characteristic of the pre-industrial era.
With the economic and social transformations that industrialization brought, the guilds disappeared. However, they were not immediately replaced by unions, since in the first years of industrialization, worker associations were expressly prohibited.
Then, a period of tolerance ensued and, finally, in 1824, the first country to admit the right to unionize was England. From that moment on, the union movement began to grow.
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Functions of unions
We have already mentioned the general function of unions. A series of specific functions emerge from this, among which we can mention:
The negotiation of the collective contract when applicable; The representation of workers with individual contracts when required; The supervision and defense of industrial safety conditions; The surveillance of compliance with social security; Demand and promote adequate conditions for the usufruct of rights in the workplace.
Types of unions
Unions by guild: They are those that bring together workers of the same trade.
Unions of a company or institution: They are those made up of workers from a single company or institution, regardless of the work performed.
Industry, activity or branch unions: They are those unions made up of workers in the same sector who belong to different companies. For example, a union in the automobile industry.
Intercompany unions: They are those that bring together workers from two or more neighboring companies, each with less than 25 workers, due to whose number and/or characteristics they cannot meet in some of the previous unions (by union, by branch or by company/institution).
Independent worker unions: They are those made up of independent and constant workers who do not have employers nor are anyone’s employers.
Temporary worker unions: They are those that are formed with workers for specific contracts, either cycles or occasionally.
Union Federation: It is the meeting and organization of several unions according to the branch to which they belong. There are regional, national and international ones.
National union center: refers to the meeting and organization of all unions in a national representation, regardless of the area or branch of work. It can also admit the direct affiliation of workers.
World union center: It is the meeting of national unions into two large international union groups.
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