Gavin Bailey

A Member's Perception of Their Trade Unions Within the Public Sector: Trade Unions and Their Members Feelings Towards Them During an Economic Downturn Gavin Bailey

People often take for granted their trade unions and negative feelings are regularly aimed at them. Have you ever considered how our perceptions change about them during an economic crisis? The literature doesn?t always cohere with our actual thoughts. Whilst the trade union evolution in Ireland was always an extremely strong one, the 21st century has seen a shift in power to the employer. Extensive research shows that our feelings can significantly change when a union?s voice is weakened and their power is suddenly taken away from them. Using formal interviews with both the union and the worker and also a sample of questionnaires distributed to public sector worker, we come to some drastic conclusions regarding how satisfied these workers actually are with the representation of their trade unions. We discover some major problems facing the unions and seek to find out how they can over-power the employer once again. Unions need to change with the times and they face some difficult decisions as they progress into the future. The main question is ?Are they capable of satisfying the needs of their members during the worst economic disaster to in the history of the island of Ireland?"