Decline in Trade Unionism and Strike Activity Coursework

Decline in Trade Unionism and Strike Activity - Coursework Example For decades, trade unions have played an important role in Europe as organizations that work to provide common goals for workers, offering traditional functions to its members such as collective bargaining, organized strikes, and support for unfair dismissal. In the UK, for example, the â€Å"Trade Union Congress† (TUC), which is an organization of British trade unions, was founded in 1868, and has since then, become a powerful institution in industrial relations.Trade unions have been commonly associated with strike-related activities since the 11900s but the instances of trade unions and strikes has evolved and changed dramatically since this period (Aligisakis, 1997). Participation in trade unions and strike activity are considered to be two important aspects of industrial relations in any country.   In the majority of European countries, trade unionism and the level of strike activities has experienced a continuous decline since the 1980s. Over the last three decades, a series of global changes have weakened the power of trade unions. These changes are responsible for the decline in trade unionism and fall in strikes, and the reasons for these changes will be explored in this paper. Attempts will also be made to examine whether any relation exists between the decline in trade union membership and strikes. Before embarking on discussing the issues mentioned above, one should look at the trend in trade unionism as well as strikes in European countries, particularly in Germany, France, Great Britain, and Sweden, as this is essential in finding out the relationship between the decline in trade union membership and strikes. These countries have been chosen as they represent the widest spectrum of industrial relations.