| QUESTION ONE: | | | | said state or country. |
| COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE POLITICAL | | | | QUESTION TWO: |
| ORIENTATION OF TRADE UNIONS FROM ANY | | | | TO WHAT EXTENT AND WHY DOES THE ROLE |
| TWO COUNTRIES. EVALUATE THE | | | | OF THE STATE IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS |
| DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF THIS ON THEIR | | | | DIFFER. (ADDRESS THIS QUESTION BY USING |
| INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS SYSTEMS. | | | | EXAMPLES DRAWN FROM AT LEAST TWO |
| INTRODUCTION: | | | | COUNTRIES). |
| A trade union is similar in character to a labor | | | | INTRODUCTION: |
| union. Generally, a trade union can be defined as | | | | Industrial relations concern itself with the |
| an organization or grouping of persons who are | | | | relationship that exists in any economy between |
| closely associated due to their mode of | | | | workers or organized groups of workers and the |
| employment or the nature of labor they provide | | | | management. The workers are mostly |
| to an economy. These organizations exist for | | | | represented by trade unions. |
| both casual and formal employees, as well as the | | | | Governments or states have always been |
| unemployed. Trade unions may be founded by | | | | involved in industrial relations for a long time now. |
| individual workers, past workers or professionals | | | | The reasons for their involvements always differ |
| in a certain field of work. | | | | from state to state. Even within the same state |
| The major but not the only objective of trade | | | | the role and extent of government, involvement |
| unions is the improvement or maintenance of the | | | | in the industrial relations will always depend on the |
| working or employment conditions of workers. | | | | regime in power. In addition to this, the ideological |
| HISTORY: | | | | dimension of the regime always influences its |
| Trade unions have been evolving for the last 100 | | | | involvement in industrial relations. |
| years. Many trade unions arose during the period | | | | Command economies like North Korea and Cuba |
| of the rise of the industrial revolution in Western | | | | have extensive government control not only in |
| Europe. | | | | industrial relations but also generally in all |
| During this period, much of Western Europe was | | | | occupations. On the other hand, liberal democrats |
| revolutionizing from an agrarian mode of | | | | have always allowed a system of laissez faire to |
| production to an industrial mode of production. | | | | supersede and they only involve themselves in |
| The rise of trade unionism was because of the | | | | industrial relations mostly in the field of formulation |
| introduction of new work techniques as well as an | | | | and implementation of government policies. |
| increasing downward pressure the then existing | | | | The extent and the nature of this involvement will |
| structures of traditional wage | | | | always depend on the state itself as well as the |
| On top of this, the expanding industrial society | | | | ideological background of the ruling party. |
| was drawing more children, women, immigrants | | | | In this analysis, I will look at the role of the state |
| as well as rural workers in to the urban culture. | | | | in two industrial states (Britain and France). In |
| This pool of semi skilled labor as well as unskilled | | | | analyzing this relationship, we shall assume that |
| labor started to organize themselves in small | | | | the main reason for the two states involvement |
| groups in order to articulate their plight collectively. | | | | in industrial relations is purely for regulation |
| This marked the onset of trade unionism. | | | | purposes. Thus, we shall use the Regulationist |
| POLITICAL ORIENTATION OF TRADE UNIONS: | | | | approach in order to analyze the role of state |
| The political dimensions or political orientations of | | | | institutions in the industrial relations. |
| trade unions have always been determined by the | | | | Both France and Britain are industrial powers. |
| nature and type of political regimes existent in | | | | Since the 1980s, thaw role of the state in |
| their economies all over the world. Due to this | | | | industrial relations has always had some similarities |
| reason, many trade unions especially in former | | | | as well as some disparities. Britain under |
| colonial states ended up forming themselves into | | | | Thatcherism and France under Gaullism had their |
| political parties. In other democracies these trade | | | | strengths and weaknesses when it came to the |
| unions concentrated only in their field of | | | | role of state intervention in the systems of |
| specialization and only rarely did they form | | | | industrial relations and regulation. |
| themselves into political parties. | | | | Government involvement in the industrial |
| For the purposes of this paper, I will look at the | | | | processes usually conceals some form of class |
| political orientation of trade unions in one | | | | power. Thus, the only influencing factor that |
| developed western country and one developing | | | | enables the state to maintain this form of control |
| African country (Britain and Kenya). | | | | is usually an invisible yet present form of balance |
| The rise of trade unionism in Britain could be best | | | | of class power within the economy as well as an |
| analyzed on a modernization theory perspective. | | | | existing agreement between the economic |
| On the other hand, in order to understand the rise | | | | interests of employers, workers and the state. |
| of trade unionism in Kenya, which happens to be | | | | Scholars have argued that states intervene or |
| a former British colony can only be best | | | | involve themselves in the restructuring of the |
| understood from a dependency theory | | | | industrial relations because they have their own. |
| perspective. | | | | Some of these reasons may be political, social, |
| Trade unions both in Britain and in Kenya have a | | | | economic or even strategic in a security-wise |
| long history of getting overly involved in political | | | | manner. |
| affairs. Surprisingly in both countries, there are | | | | Both the governments of Britain and France have |
| instances where certain trade unions have turned | | | | been involved in the processes of industrial |
| into political parties and contested for national | | | | relations especially when the nature of the |
| elections. Trade unions in Kenya have always had | | | | competition in a particular industry is deemed to |
| a political dimension ever since the struggle for | | | | be unfair or discriminatory e.g. in the case of |
| independence from Britain began. Many trade | | | | Tesco and Carrefour in the case of Britain and |
| unions were on the front line in advocating for the | | | | France respectively. In addition, the two states |
| release of detained freedom fighters and ever | | | | have always been involved in settling industrial |
| since, they have always been very political. | | | | disputes either directly through workers unions or |
| Trade unions in both countries have been highly | | | | indirectly through tribunals. In addition, they have |
| involved in political campaigns, especially for political | | | | always been monitoring the sensitivity of demand |
| parties that they consider to be of importance to | | | | to economic conditions. |
| them. The British labor union was one of the | | | | By monitoring this sensitivity, they have always |
| driving forces of bringing the labor party to | | | | been able to implement the necessary micro and |
| power. Likewise, the Kenya federation of labor | | | | macro economic policies through either the fiscal |
| was supportive of bringing the current NARC | | | | policies or the monetary and foreign exchange |
| regime in to power in Kenya. Additionally these | | | | policies in order to ensure that there is maximum |
| trade unions have always been keen on criticizing | | | | productivity within their industrial sectors. |
| bad legislation or poor government policies in all | | | | The industrial relations systems of the two |
| sectors of the economy. | | | | countries are relatively similar since both states |
| In almost all countries of the world there is no | | | | are capitalistic in nature. These industrial relations |
| country where trade unions have failed to conflict | | | | represent a collective system of regulatory |
| with the ruling regimes. This is in no exception to | | | | mechanisms that have widely been used in |
| trade unions in Britain and Kenya. Kenya having | | | | settling industrial disputes and problems like strikes, |
| been a former colony of Britain and given the | | | | high inflation, high unemployment as well as |
| fact that it is still a member of the | | | | ever-recurring political crisis. |
| commonwealth countries it shares a lot in | | | | Due to the fact that states can and do, exercise |
| common with not only Britain but with almost all | | | | the monopoly of power states thus have the |
| of the commonwealth countries. On the field of | | | | necessary capabilities and capacities to influence |
| trade unionism, the extent of political radicalism | | | | policies that will ultimately be accepted by the |
| evident within the British trade unions is still rife | | | | industrial organizations. |
| and rampant within Kenyan trade unions as well. | | | | DIFFERENCES: |
| Additionally trade unions in both Kenya and Britain | | | | Despite these similarities in the role of the state in |
| have always been politically associated with the | | | | industrial relations, there are still some remarkable |
| ruling elite, or a certain class of the bourgeoisie. | | | | differences between the state roles in those |
| This involvement between certain high-ranking | | | | same relations between the two states. These |
| politicians or leaders has always made trade | | | | differences were not only structural but they |
| unions to be highly political. This is because these | | | | were also because of the legacies of specific |
| trade unions are used as instruments for | | | | industrial relations that the two economies |
| campaigns between the different politicians and or | | | | adopted from their past. These legacies |
| political parties. | | | | compounded by internal structural difficulties and |
| DIFFERENCES: | | | | lack of certain institutional capacity building resulted |
| Although many trade unions in Kenya are | | | | in certain rigidities of dealing with the industrial |
| relatively young as compared to their British | | | | relations in the two states. |
| counterparts, they still do have the above | | | | In the British case, the rigidities were highly |
| similarities in their operations. However, there are | | | | associated with the deep trade union resources |
| some very significant differences between trade | | | | and capacities that have been widely spread |
| unions in the two countries. Some of these | | | | within the British economy as well as the system |
| differences include the following. | | | | of decentralization in the collective bargaining in the |
| Many trade unions in Britain were formed or are | | | | work place. |
| formed within a well laid down legal and | | | | The labor government elected in 1997 did not |
| administrative system and in addition to this they | | | | change the industrial relations that were existent |
| usually have a clear cut ideological perspective | | | | during the Thatcherism years since 1979. |
| that is well known and articulated. On top of this, | | | | On the side of France, the rigidities especially |
| they usually have a guiding manifesto that steers | | | | during the ford years were more associated with |
| the way for their operations. On the other hand, | | | | the role of the state mostly on the issue of its |
| trade unions in Kenya usually do not have | | | | excessive regulation of the labor market. |
| manifestos and even if they have, they are rarely | | | | The other difference between the British and the |
| followed. On top of this, these trade unions usually | | | | French roles in industrial relations is more political |
| do not have an ideology to guide their operations. | | | | than social. The two countries pursue different |
| In addition, the legal framework is so complicated | | | | ideologies and this resulted in immense structural |
| that the trade unions themselves are not fully | | | | differences between the two states. |
| aware of the powers they have under Kenyan | | | | CONCLUSION: |
| law. | | | | For the past decade, the industrial relations in both |
| Secondly, there is the issue of financial security. | | | | Britain and France have been improving. The role |
| Trade unions in Britain usually have enough funds | | | | of the state in industrial relations and reforms has |
| to finance their operations, this makes it hard for | | | | been on the decrease. This trend has helped to |
| the British government to threaten or to take | | | | bring some sense of security and facilitation not |
| action against them. This minimizes the chance | | | | only some sense of security and facilitation not |
| that the government could lower their bargaining | | | | only in the industrial relations sector but also the |
| power, on the other side Kenyan trade unions | | | | respective economies, as well as the promotion |
| have very weak financial bases, this makes it | | | | of international trade and commerce. |
| easy for the Kenyan government to ignore them | | | | Britain and France are two of the biggest and |
| and assume their role as irrelevant. This has made | | | | most powerful countries within the European |
| the trade union movement in Kenya very weak | | | | Union. This means that issues of involvement in |
| as compared to the British trade union | | | | the industrial sector is closely monitored since the |
| movement. | | | | effects of their actions will not only be felt within |
| CONCLUSION: | | | | their economies only but also within the wider |
| Trade unionism is a very important aspect in the | | | | European Union as well as their major trading |
| development of democracies. This is because | | | | partners as well. |
| trade unions are always at the forefront together | | | | REFERENCES: |
| with other interest groups to keep governments | | | | Alice H, Amsden. 1971. International Firms and |
| on their toes. Trade unions ensure that | | | | Labor in Kenya. London: Rout ledge |
| governments deliver what they claimed they | | | | Anthony, Clayton & Donald, Savage 1975. |
| would deliver once elected to power. Incase | | | | Government and Labor in Kenya, 1895-1963. |
| governments fail to deliver on their promises | | | | London: Rout ledge |
| trade unions are usually there to demand the | | | | Fiona Colgan, & Sue, Ledwith. 2002. Gender, |
| rights of the citizens. | | | | Diversity and Trade Unions: International |
| This involvement in politics ensures that | | | | Perspectives. London: Rout ledge |
| governments are always working maximally to | | | | François Crouzet. 1995. Management and |
| deliver the greatest happiness to their people. | | | | Business in Britain and France: The Age of the |
| In instances where trade unions are unable to do | | | | Corporate Economy. Oxford: Oxford University |
| their work efficiently and effectively due to | | | | Press. |
| government intimidation like is the case in Kenya | | | | Hoffmann, J. Waddington, J. Kahmann, M. 2005. A |
| then this is usually an indicator of some | | | | Comparison of the Trade Union Merger Process in |
| deficiencies in the democratic process within the | | | | Britain and Germany: Joining Forces?. |