Compare and Contrast the role of trade unions in Sweden and the UK Essay

Compare and Contrast the role of trade unions in Sweden and the UK - Essay Example Negotiations on wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules of hiring and firing, promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety, working condition, policies and other crucial elements of the work are made possible through the intervention of the trade unions. The most important function of trade unions is the maintenance and improvement of the conditions of employment and they have various goals and activities. They include the provisions of the benefits to the members, collective bargaining, industrial actions like strikes and resistance, and political activities. The traces of trade unions date as long back as the early 18th century. The changes in the system began to take place in the Western nations, especially in Britain, where there was a transformation in the industrial culture as a result of industrial revolution and related activities. With the advent of industrialisation, the vitality of the trade unions also increased. There are many conditions that make the trade unions affect the decision making and policy framing of the Human Resource Management in the modern context. The primary purpose of the trade unions is to safeguard the interest of the employees and the HR management is very much conscious of the relationship with the employees. Thus, the interest of the trade unions and that of the management departments of modern employment firms collide. Here, the role of the management firm is one of merging the interest of the trade unions with the development of the company and going ahead with policies that contribute to the growth of the firm without affecting the employees’ interest. This type of employment management varies from country to country where the role of the trade unions also differs. The special context of Sweden, where the socialists want to have the full employment and equality of the employees, is different from that of the UK. In the UK, the management of the employment w as made much easier