Trade unions are juristic entities and volitional associations that have, historically and ideologically, represented the aggregate strength of labour to maximise their effectiveness in their endeavour to fulfil their core responsibilities and principal functions. However, Ceronie (2007) postulates that, in South Africa, there has been a loss of ideological support for unions since the dawn of democracy. The establishment of the democracy had the effect that a huge driving gear to belong to a union was lost. The mandate of trade unions is to, inter alia, protect, maintain, and improve the working conditions of their members. They fulfil this mandate by ensuring that they offer services that meet, if not exceed, members' satisfaction levels. Trade unions ultimately exist to protect both the work- and non-work-related interest of their members, whether these be economic, social, political, or environmental (Venter, 2003). Nel et al. (2005) asseverate that trade unions are membership organisations: They exist because of their members, they are made up of members, they serve their members' interest, and they are governed by their members. That is, they derive their authority and mandate from the members. Therefore, trade union are service providers. They must give employees enough reason to become attracted to them as members and to remain members. Simply put, trade unions, as the embodiment of workers' aspirations, owe a duty of care to their members, and thus should at all times, act in their best interests. Thus, the kind and quality of services offered by trade unions should be perceived by members as sufficient and satisfactory. Highly satisfied and committed union members are more likely to support and participate in trade union activities. Trade unions, like any other organisation that provides services, are faced with challenges of membership decline due to perceived poor services or the lack thereof, and are therefore required to devise remedial measures to mitigate the membership decline. Against the backdrop of the foregoing, the aim of the study was to examine if there is a relationship between the quality of services and benefits offered by unions to their members and member satisfaction. The sample comprised members of the three major unions within the public service of South Africa. Using the quantitative paradigm, primary empirical data were collected by distributing 500 questionnaires, which yielded a 48.9% response rate. Data were analysed using the SPSS Statistics 23 software program. The questionnaire was valid and reliable, with an overall scale reliability coefficient of α = .975. The findings revealed moderate levels of member satisfaction (56%) with low dissatisfaction (16%), and a significantly high participation rate in union activities (61%), and union effectiveness (80%). That is, the findings revealed that members were generally satisfied with their unions' performance. The findings affirm union instrumentality, union effectiveness, and member participation as antecedents of union commitment, and also confirm unions' performance and effectiveness as significant determinants of members' satisfaction with a union. Therefore, in a quest to maintain and/or increase their relevance, trade unions must examine their current services and benefits, in order to determine whether they still meet their members' preferences, and, if not, to develop and provide a new service mix that will not only appeal to unionised members, but will also attract non-unionised workers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Human Resource Management / PhD / Unrestricted

This thesis provides an analysis of the role and effectiveness of unions in selecting their strategy to meet the needs of their members in developing countries – in this case Indonesia after the late Soeharto regime stepped down in 1998. In particular, the focus of the research is to understand how the selection of particular union strategies might influence union effectiveness in the context of developing economies. The research involves a major empirical study of unions based on a comprehensive analytical framework. The study finds its relevance in providing both theoretical and practical strategies for unions operating in a constraining political environment and in an era where the power of unions in general has been sharply diminishing. Based on various theoretical models of union strategy, the thesis develops a measure that explores union strategy from the initial stage of strategy creation - namely the establishment of union aims - through the process of strategy-development, resulting in the forms of union methods and tactics that are used in day-to-day union operations. The thesis also develops a model of organisational effectiveness that enables a comprehensive picture of union effectiveness. The model was operationalised by the use of a survey questionnaire. The fieldwork was conducted between the period of January to June 2005 in enterprise unions in the services sector. Responses from 100 unions were analysed using multiple regression techniques. The results yielded five independent variables that contributed significantly to the prediction of union effectiveness. Those variables included partnership between unions and management, the use of innovation and training for empowering union members, setting up specific departments for dealing with industrial and organisational issues, and attempts to gain external support for strengthening unions’ negotiations with management. Altogether, these factors explained 65% of the variability in union effectiveness. Some important findings emerged from subsequent case studies that involved seven eligible unions. The most effective unions placed a strong emphasis on political goals by participating in the process of policy formulation both at the workplace and beyond the enterprise boundary. They employed both arbitration practices and relationships with political institutions to support their collective bargaining. A combination of tactical approaches including industrial action, provision of member services and use of information and communications technologies were used together with contemporary campaign themes such as workplace improvement and productivity. The most effective unions faced environments that discouraged workers from participating, including the existence of competitive wages, employee involvement plans, and covert anti-union strategies from companies. The results suggest that “consultancy” unionism is the dominant approach adopted by Indonesian unions in the services sector. This approach involves servicing members and developing only limited engagement with employers. Turning “consultancy” unionism into “partnership” unionism appears to be the most promising, approach to increased union effectiveness in the Indonesian context. To implement such a strategy, Indonesian unions have to strengthen their commitment to providing resources for organising, to boost participation among their members, and subsequently to construct a partnership based on “the collective power of workers”. The research has implications for unions, employers, and the state. For unions, the advantage of committing to establish a culture of organising builds a foundation for delivering a multi-tactical approach. However, in light of the limited strength of union power, that objective may best be achieved through partnership with employers. The findings concerning partnership strategies provide strong support for the government’s efforts at establishing industrial peace. Future comparative research to replicate this work in manufacturing industry or other countries in which enterprise unionism is the dominant union structure is to be encouraged