Workers, Wages and the Labour Market: Question 7
Syllabus 3.3
Nurses at a hospital are represented by a trade union. As well as negotiating pay with hospital management, the union raises concerns about staffing levels on wards and the safety equipment provided to nurses.
Which of the following best describes an aim of the trade union in this example, other than negotiating a higher basic rate of pay for nurses?
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Worked solution
Step 1: Recall what trade unions negotiate over
A trade union represents workers in negotiations with their employer. While pay is a central concern, unions also campaign over non-wage matters that affect the day-to-day experience and wellbeing of their members, such as job security, working hours, staffing levels and workplace safety.
Step 2: Classify each option
- A. Basic hourly pay rate: this is a direct wage demand, so it is a wage aim, not the “other than pay” aim the question asks for.
- B. Staffing levels and safety equipment: neither of these is a payment to nurses. They concern how safe and manageable the working environment is, so this is a non-wage aim.
- C. Overtime pay: this is still a direct payment for extra hours worked, so it remains a wage aim, even though it is not part of the basic rate.
- D. Reducing the hospital’s running costs to raise its surplus: this describes an aim that benefits hospital management, not something a workers’ trade union would pursue on behalf of its members.
Step 3: Identify the non-wage aim
Options A and C both describe forms of payment to nurses, and option D describes an aim that runs counter to workers’ interests. Only option B describes a non-wage matter that the union pursues to improve conditions for its members.
Final answer
Campaigning for safer staffing levels and better safety equipment is a non-wage aim of the trade union, option B.