EXPLOITING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES FOR ENCOURAGING EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION IN TRADE UNIONS: A NEW PERSPECTIVE

A review of the existing literature suggests that although most industrialized countries have seen a drop in union membership rates, in past years, the drop in union density (the unionized proportion of the working population) has been more significant in the Indian context. Some popular explanations that pin this decline to the reduced popularity of unionization among workers and the general public include the small size of unions, multiplicity of trade unions and rivalries, leadership issues, the politicization of trade unions, etc. One of the major causes, why the new age industrial worker does not covet to join a trade union, is the lack of knowledge of trade unions and the advantage of joining trade unions. The current study is an effort in this direction, where it has been argued that Social networking sites (a new mode of social network concept) can be used as an effective tool by unions for informing/convincing workers of unionism's benefits, which is otherwise difficult to perceive without experience. Social networking sites also can be leveraged by the trade unions to increase their union membership by reaching out to more and more employees as well as creating a brand image for themselves. In this paper, based on the literature review and analysis, a framework linking employee participation, union membership, and social networking sites has been suggested, thus offering a new perspective of "social networking" in the industrial relations area.