Union (Trade Union) Concept

Currently, and synthetically said, a union is a free association, stable and permanent of employees or workers belonging to a same career or related careers) or to a same activity sector, that gather for a defense of the correspondent professional interests, individual or collective, namely at the level of work conditions and salary conditions.

The historical mold of the trade union like we know it today emerged with the industrial development in England at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th as counterbalance to the emerging of capitalism. Despite this urban and industrial origin, quickly the union movement expanded to other activity sectors, namely the commerce and services sector and the agriculture sectors.

 

Attributions / Unions’ Activities

Usually, the attributions or activities developed by the unions are the one following presented:

. Juridical assistance services to its associates;

. Participate and represent its associates in legal processes of labor scope and in processes of salary negotiation and in agreements or collective work conventions.

. Represent and defend its associates’ interests before the administrative, juridical and political authorities.

 

 

Translated from Portuguese by Susana Saraiva, Portuguese-English and English-Portuguese translation specialist. Contact: spams@sapo.pt.