Types of Trade Unions

Exam code: 2281

Written by: Ashika|Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll|Updated 2 July 2026

A trade union is an organisation that represents the interests of its workers in negotiations with a firm’s management or owners
The interests of the worker include
- Wage and non-wage benefits of employment
- Health and safety in the working environment
- The reduction of discrimination and worker exploitation
Trade unions are usually formed by the members of specific industries
- Airline pilots have a pilots' union
- Rail and sea workers have a rail and maritime union
If there is no specialist union for an industry, most economies have a number of general unions which any worker can join e.g. In the UK, UNISON is the largest trade union, and it represents workers from across the public sector including those working in local government, education and health
All trade unions can be classified into one of four categories

Types of Trade Unions

Type of Union	Explanation
General Union	These represents skilled and unskilled workers in any industry e.g. truck drivers, football referees, musicians and gardeners
Industrial Union	These represents workers in the same industry. Anyone in the industry can join, irrespective of skill level or seniority e.g. The Fire Brigades Union in the United Kingdom
Craft Union	These represent skilled workers with a specific trade e.g. painters, electricians
White Collar Union	These represent professional office-based (‘white-collar’) workers e.g. financial advisors, teachers, architects, designers

Was this revision note helpful?

Build on this topic