DIFFERENCES AMONG ASSOCIATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIONS

JEANNIEFFER R. DAVID

In a workplace, it is important to have an association where we share and serve our common interests and purpose. By definition, association is group of individuals who voluntarily enter into an agreement to accomplish a purpose or a body of persons engaged in the same profession, formed usually to control entry into the profession, maintain standards, and represent the profession in discussions with other bodies. And constitutionally, Article XIII of the Law provides us the legal backing for organizing and joining association which is clearly stated in sections 15 and 16.

Associations can be a non-profit organization, alumni association, Professional association, Sports association or a Trade association. Any association does not just encourage its members to be plainly members but rather getting them actively involved and engaged. With this, the members can take advantage of the many opportunities to network, learn, develop professional skills and abilities, and even make lifelong friends.

Organization on the other hand is a social unit of people, systematically structure and managed to meet the needs or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. Under Article 243 of the Labor Code provides that “all persons employed in commercial, industrial and agricultural enterprises, including religious, charitable, medical or educational institutions operating for profit, shall have the right to self-organization and to form, join or assist labor organizations for purposes of collective bargaining.” A corollary article (255) states: “The labor organization designated or selected by the majority of the employees in an appropriate collective bargaining unit shall be the exclusive representative of the employees in such unit for the purpose of collective bargaining.” A host of other provisions reinforce these two articles.

Within the workplace, workers can form organization called union to protect their common interests and improve their working conditions. There are two types of these organized labor unions: 1. Horizontal union, in which all members share a common skill and 2. Vertical union, which composed of workers from across the same industry. Their activities in the union mat include negotiating a contract of employment relationship with management, handling complaints and grievances of employees, enlisting, organizing, and indoctrinating new members, financing the work of the unions, handling legal cases and pertinent problems of the unions or its members, and represents them in court or before government bodies, and conducting research work on union problems and projects. However, the Law specifically the Labor Code defines the rights and duties of members of a union. It also reserves the right to take legal actions to any violation of said rights that l be a ground for cancellation of union registration or expulsion of an officer from office, whichever is appropriate.

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The author is Teacher III at Angeles City Senior High School