* do they negotiate standard wages, hours and work conditions?
* do they organise strikes and other action when they don't get what their members want?
* do they also represent unskilled workers, say hospital cleaners (as was being suggested for the amazon Union)?
Help me out here. Am I missing something? I'm no expert so I'm happy to be corrected...
A trade union is simply an organization of workers to achieve a shared goal. That’s it.
For many trade associations, safety standards is a big one, and it becomes more important as the trade is more skilled.
So for instance, it’s the AMA that promoted the standards of medicine over the century and a half and lobbied to prevent quacks from practicing as “medical doctors”.
Do you believe the fragmented and haphazard standards in software today and management’s race to the bottom is beneficial to consumers or to society?
First you say, Doctors don’t have unions.
Then you move the goalpost when it’s pointed out that many skilled professions do have something effectively similar.
The reason for having one isn’t just about pay.