Under a free market economic system, the managements as a minority are in control of capitals and the important production means, whereas the labors need to provide their manpower and time for the relative wages in order to maintain the bread and butter for their everyday living. An intense relationship filled with oppositions and resistances is therefore easily found between labor and management in the environment today. Owing to the special political and economic backgrounds of our country, it is difficult for unions, (and especially unions) to elaborate on the functions that the unions should play. The unions of our country had been mocked on as ¡§labor insurance unions¡¨ or ¡§flower vase unions¡¨; therefore we would like to find out whether a union exists in our country, which does not offer labor insurance or national health insurance services yet still operates and functions fully as a normal union? Do any union commitments exist between the union members and the unions? How strong are these commitments? And what are the reactions on the degree of participation to the unions? Reviews on academic literatures have shown that not much research was conducted on union commitments and member participation to the unions. Moreover, academic literatures focused on the studies on industry unions as opposed to unions. It is therefore the goal of this research to find out whether union commitments for the members would influence people¡¦s decisions to join unions, through the discussion on related theories and physical evidences. Through this research we hope that we could gather and arrange some management references worth other unions to follow, as well as providing physical suggestions for the future development of the unions of our country. The subjects of this research are the members of the ¡§Keelung City Customs Brokers¡¦ Union¡¨ (currently with 1,200 members), in total 600 questionnaires were issued where 255 of them were collected and 243 of them valid. Factor analysis was used in this research to test the reliability and construct validity of the questionnaires. On confirmation of the reliability test, statistical methods such as the analysis of variance and the regression analysis were further used to come to the following conclusions: 1. Union commitments have strong positive effects on the member participation in the union: (1) The higher the ¡§Union Loyalty¡¨ a member has for the union commitment, the higher is his/her participation to the union. (2) The higher the ¡§Willingness to Work for the Union¡¨ a member has for the union commitments, the higher is his/her participation to the union. (3) The higher the ¡§Responsibility to the Union¡¨ a member has for the union commitments, the higher is his/her participation to the union. 2. The personal statistic variables of the members have strong positive effects on their participation in the union: (1) Male members have higher union participation than female members. (2) The older member in age, the higher is his/her participation to the union. (3) The longer Member in union seniority, the higher is his/her participation to the union. (4) Members with union organizer experiences have higher union participation than members without prior union organizer experiences.

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

Factors Influencing Members¡¦ Commitment and Participation in the Union Abstract Due to the special situation of Taiwan economical and political development in the past, unions were unable to provide their member the function they ought to do. However Government declared martial law ended in 1989, it offered Taiwan unions a new opportunity to perform their function. Recently Human Resource Management School suggests that company never need union if they have offered work conditions satisfied by their employees. So far, neither union operation nor human resource management can coordinate Labors-Employer relation completely. Thus, it is hard to decide which way is suitable for Taiwan¡¦s situation. Therefore, the extent of Taiwan labor¡¦s commitment and participation in the union is crucial in deciding the way of coordinating Labor-employer Relation. First, this study selected some of demographics in order to realize if there are differences among members with different demographics. Second, the study also selected some factors, including Recognizing and Evaluating of Union, Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Union Instrumentality to realize if there are any effects among the factors of Union Commitment and Participation. The critical findings of this research are as follows: 1. There are significant differences among gender, age, married status, company run by state or local people, work tenure, union tenure and some factors of union commitment and participation dimension. But there are no significant between education and union commitment and participation dimension. 2. Some factors of recognizing and evaluating of union, job satisfaction, organizational commitment have relation in some factors of union commitment and participation dimension. Some factors of recognizing and evaluating of union, job satisfaction, organizational commitment have significant effects in some factors of union commitment and participation dimension. 3. Union instrumentality has significant positive relation and effects in union commitment and participation. Keyword: union commitment, union participation, union instrumentality, job satisfaction, organizational commitment.

No description available.

Text in English, abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This research endeavoured to construct a psychological framework for enhancing relational attitudes and behaviour in a South African employment relations context by investigating the relationship dynamics between individuals’ work-related perceptions (perceived organisational support and justice) and work experiences (psychological contract violation) and their relational attitudes (organisational and union commitment) and behaviour (organisational citizenship behaviour and counterproductive work behaviour) in the workplace, as moderated by their personal dispositions (individualism/collectivism) and mediated by organisational cynicism and trust. The associations between individuals’ personal (gender, age, population group and education level) and work-related (employment status, tenure, job level and union membership) characteristics and these dispositional and relational variables were also explored. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on a purposive sample of employed students registered at a higher education institution (n = 740). Canonical correlation analysis revealed that individuals’ work-related perceptions and work experiences as well as their sense of organisational cynicism and trust were strong predictors of their attitudinal commitment towards their organisations and their organisationally directed organisational citizenship behaviour. Structural equation modelling indicated a good fit between employees’ perceptions of the quality of their social exchange relationship with their employing organisations and their trust in and cynicism towards these organisations as antecedents of relational attitudes and behaviour. Mediation analysis indicated that individuals’ work-related perceptions and work experiences influence their attitudinal commitment to their employing organisations through their sense of organisational cynicism and trust. Moderation analysis revealed that the influence of individuals’ cynicism towards their employing organisations on their attitudinal commitment is conditional upon their level of horizontal collectivism. Multiple regression analysis showed that individuals’ gender, population group, level of education and job level explain their attitudinal and behavioural reactions to work-related perceptions and work experiences. Tests for significant mean differences revealed significant differences in terms of the biographical variables. At a theoretical level, the study extended the understanding of relational attitudes and behaviour and the antecedents thereof in the workplace. At an empirical level, the study delivered an empirically tested psychological framework for enhancing relational attitudes and behaviour. At a practical level, individual and organisational interventions in terms of the psychological framework were recommended. / Met hierdie studie is gepoog om ʼn sielkundige raamwerk daar te stel wat aangewend kan word om werknemerhoudings en -gedrag in ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse arbeidsverhoudinge konteks te verbeter. Met die oog hierop is ondersoek ingestel na die verhoudingsdinamiek tussen individue se werkverwante persepsies (waargenome organisasiesteun en -geregtigheid); werksbelewenisse (skending van die sielkundige kontrak); hulle houdings (organisasie- en vakbondverbondenheid); en gedrag (organisasieburgerskapgedrag en teenproduktiewe werksgedrag) by die werkplek wat deur hulle pesoonlike ingesteldheid (individualisme/ kollektivisme) beïnvloed word en deur organisasiesinisme en -vertroue bemiddel word. Die verband tussen individue se persoonlike eienskappe (hulle geslag, ouderdom, bevolkingsgroep en opleidingsvlak), werkverwante eienskappe (hulle arbeidstatus, dienstyd, posvlak en vakbondlidmaatskap) en hierdie gesindheids- en verhoudingsveranderlikes is eweneens verken. 'n Kwantitatiewe deursneeopname is gedoen met 'n doelgerigte steekproef onder werkende studente wat by 'n hoëronderwysinstelling ingeskryf is (n = 740). 'n Kanonieke korrelasieanalise het getoon dat individue se werkverwante persepsies en belewenisse sowel as hul organisasiesinisme en -vertroue 'n goeie aanduiding was van hulle houdingsverbondenheid tot hulle organisasies en van hulle burgerskapgedrag jeens hulle organisasies. Strukturele vergelykingsmodellering het groot ooreenkomste tussen werknemers se persepsies van hoe goed hulle sosiale uitruilverhouding met hul werkgewerorganisasies is asook hul vertroue in en sinisme teenoor hierdie organisasies as antesedente van hulle houdings teenoor en gedrag in hulle organisasies aan die lig gebring. Volgens 'n bemiddelingsanalise bepaal werknemers se werkverwante persepsies en werkbelewenisse hulle verbondenheid tot hulle werkgewerorganisasie op grond van hulle organisasiesinisme en -vertroue. 'n Modereringsanalise het getoon dat die invloed wat individue se sinisme teenoor hulle werkgewerorganisasies op hulle verbondenheid het, afhanklik is van hulle vlak van horisontale kollektivisme. Voorts blyk dit uit 'n meervoudige regressieanalise dat individue se geslag, bevolkingsgroep, opleiding en posvlak hulle houding- en gedragsreaksie op werkverwante persepsies en belewenisse verduidelik. Afgesien hiervan het opvallende verskille ten opsigte van die biografiese veranderlikes danksy toetse vir beduidende gemiddeldeverskille aan die lig gekom. Op teoretiese vlak het hierdie studie die kennis van werksverwante houdings en gedrag en die antesedente daarvan in die werkplek verbeter. Op empiriese vlak het hierdie studie 'n empiries getoetste sielkundige raamwerk vir die bevordering van positiewe werksverwante houdings en -gedrag tot gevolg gehad. Op praktiese vlak is individuele en organisasie-intervensies ten opsigte van die sielkundige raamwerk aanbeveel. / Lolu cwaningo luzama ukwakha uhlaka lwezengqondo lokukhulisa indlela enhle yokucabanga nokuziphatha kumqondosizinda wezindlela zokusebenza eNingizimu Afrika ngokucubungula izinguquko ebudlelwaneni phakathi kwemibono emayelana nemisebenzi yomuntu ngamunye (ukusekela nobulungiswa kwenhlangano okucatshangelwayo) nababhekana nakho emsebenzini (ukungahlonishwa kwesivumelwano sezengqondo) nendlela yabo yokucabanga (ukuzibophezela kwenhlangano nokubumbana) nendlela yokuziphatha (indlela yokuziphatha ngokobuzwe benhlangano nendlela yokuziphatha engavumelani nokwenziwa ngemfanelo komsebenzi) emsebenzini njengoba kujivazwa yindlela bona ngokwabo abaziphethe ngayo (ngokuzimela/ngokusebenzisana) futhi kugqugquzelwa ukungabaza nokungabinethemba enhlanganweni. Ubudlelwane phakathi kobunjalo bomuntu ngomuntu (ubulili, iminyaka yobudala, nokuthi ungowaliphi iqembu labantu kanye nezinga lemfundo) nokumayelana nomsebenzi (isimo sokusebenza, umsebenzi owenzayo, izinga lomsebenzi nobulungu benhlangano) izimpawu nalokhu okuguquguqukayo okuwubunjalo bomuntu nakho kwatholakala. Inhlolovo engamanani eyizigaba ezehlukene yenziwa kwisampula eyayikhethwe ngamabomu yabafundi ababhalisiwe esikhungweni semfundo ephakeme (n = 740). Ukuhlaziwa kokuhlobana okungenakuphikiswa kwaveza ukuthi izindlela zabantu ngabanye zokucabanga mayelana nomsebenzi nababhekana nakho emsebenzini kanjalo nombono wabo mayelana nokungabaza nokwethemba inhlangano kwakuyizona zinkomba ezazinamandla zokuzibophezela kwabo ngokwendlela yokucabanga ezinhlanganweni zabo kanye nendlela yabo yokuziphatha ngokwenhlangano okubhekiswe ebuzweni benhlangano. Indlela yokuqhathanisa ngokokwakheka yaveza ukuxhumana okuhle phakathi kombono wabasebenzi wezinga eliphezulu lobudlelwane babo bokuxoxisana nezinhlangano ezibaqashile kanye nokuthemba nokungabaza kwabo okwakuqondiswe kulezi zinhlangano njengesisekelo sendlela yokucabanga neyokuziphatha kwabo. Ukuhlaziywa kokuxoxisana kuveza ukuthi imibono yabantu emayelana nomsebenzi kanye nababhekana nakho emsebenzini kunomthelela ekuzibophezeleni kwabo ngokwendlela yokucabanga ezinhlanganweni ezibaqashile ngokomqondo wabo wokungabaza nokwethemba inhlangano. Ukuhlaziya okulawulekayo kwaveza ukuthi umthelela wokungabaza komumntu ngamunye mayelana nezinhlangano ezibaqashile ekuzibophezeleni kwabo ngokwendlela yokucabanga kuncike ezingeni labo lokusebenzisana ngokulinganayo. Ukuhlaziywa kokwehla ngamandla kwakhombisa ukuthi lokhu okulandelayo komuntu ngomuntu, ubulili, iqembu labantu akulona, izinga lemfundo nezinga lomsebenzi kuchaza indlela ababhekana ngayo ngokwendlela yokucabanga nokuziphatha okumayelana nomsebenzi nalokho ababhekana nakho emsebenzini. Ukuhlolwa kokusemqoka kuchaza umehluko owembula umehluko osemqoka ngokuguquguquka kwemininingwane ngomuntu. Ezingeni lethiyori, lolu cwaningo luveze ngokuthe xaxa ukuqonda indlela yokucabanga neyokuziphatha kwabantu, nezisekelo ezikhona endaweni yokusebenza. Ezingeni lokungase kubonakale kwenzeka, lesi sifundo silethe uhlaka lwezengqondo oluhlolwe njengolungase lwenzeke ukukhulisa indlela yokucabanga neyokuziphatha kwabantu. Ezingeni lokungase kwenzeke, kwancomeka ukuthi kube nokungenelela komuntu ngamunye nokwenhlangano ngokohlaka lwezengqondo. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology (Industrial and Organisational Psychology))