Trade unions or staff associations: Which is better?

Across UK workplaces, many organisations have staff associations in place to represent employee interests. While this may sound similar to what trade unions offer, they actually differ significantly in their structure, powers and effectiveness.

It is important to understand how these differences are crucial in not only making important decisions about your rights as an individual, but also as a collective workplace.

In this article, we’ll explore how exactly trade unions and staff associations differ, as well as bust some myths around how effective staff associations actually are compared to trade unions.

What are trade unions?

Trade unions like Community are independent organisations that represent the interests of workers across various sectors and industries. They are legally recognised bodies with statutory rights, enabling them to:

• Negotiate on collective issues, including pay, policy, health, and safety and much more
• Provide free and discounted legal representation with employment issues such as unfair dismissal, grievances, discrimination and harassment. On average, Community secures our members over £4 million in compensation each year owed through legal claims
• Campaign for workers’ rights through lobbying government on local and national levels
• Undertake industrial action when necessary to defend members’ interests and rights
• Advocate for workplace health and safety
• Offer access to learning and training opportunities to help members upskill in their careers

Key characteristics of trade unions include:

• They are independent and external, meaning important decisions are led by members and union representatives
• They have extensive legal power backed by legislation to protect workers’ rights
• They address industry and sector-wide issues affecting both members and non-members
• In recognised workplaces, members have collective bargaining power to negotiate with employers on pay and conditions
• They have the power to lobby and influence government decisions that affect industries, sectors and workers’ rights
• They save their members tens of thousands in legal fees and tribunal costs each year
• They offer exclusive membership benefits packages. Community’s includes discounts and savings, free and discounted legal services, financial support and free CPD-accredited learning opportunities.

What is a staff association?

A staff association is typically an internal organisation that operates exclusively within a specific workplace or company. Employees form these to represent their interests, focusing on issues such as:

• Social activities
• Addressing employee concerns around wellbeing
• Consulting with management on policy or changes within the workplace

Key characteristics of staff associations include:

• They are internally focused, primarily concerned with the specific workplace they operate within
• They have limited legal powers, lacking the statutory rights that trade unions like Community have
• They are easily influenced by management and employers, which puts worker’s voices and rights at risk
• They are primarily focused on internal issues, and lack the scope of trade unions like Community to lobby and campaign on broader sector or industry concerns
• They have no bargaining power, preventing you and colleagues to bargain collectively on issues around pay and conditions

Staff Associations vs. Trade Unions: An overview

To help you better understand how staff associations and trade unions compare, we have put together this handy overview which breaks down how they operate.

Why trade unions are more effective than staff associations

As a trade union, we would be bias toward joining a union rather than a staff association, however the benefits speak for themselves. While staff associations can be effective in creating a sense of community in a workplace, and may address some issues, they ultimately have little to no legal bargaining power whereas trade unions are stronger in both protections and benefits.

For workers who want stronger legal protection, independent representation, more say on what goes on in their workplace and sector, and collective bargaining power, a trade union like Community is the better choice.