A union is an organized group of workers whose purpose is to protect its members and improve working conditions. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in August 2012, 20% of full-time employees and 14% of part-time employees were union members. While this data shows a decline in union membership over the past decade or so, unions are still a very important part of the workplace. In Australia, it is illegal for an employer to fire a worker for joining a union, and they are unable to prevent workers from joining a union (Trade Unions 2012). Likewise, management cannot force employees to join unions or treat its staff unfairly for belonging to a union (Fair Work Ombudsman 2013). This essay will focus on the importance of unions in the workplace and discuss why management should not have the right power to determine whether a union should operate in the workplace. This will be done by examining the role of the union and looking from the perspective of each of the three perspectives of employment relations: unitarism, pluralism and radicalism. The role of the trade unionThe very first trade unions emerged during the 19th century during the revolt of the industrial capitalist system. These unions were initially small in size and were formed by workers as a platform to represent and protect their interests in the workplace (Baoill 2011). In Australia, the first groups to be covered by trade unions were “skilled male artisans” (Bray, Waring & Cooper 2011). Looking ahead a hundred years or so, the primary purpose of unions remains the same, although they now cover a much wider variety of workers, including white-collar and blue-collar workers, skilled and unskilled workers, workers in... ... . half of the article ... "human resource management practice", The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 17, no. 7, pp. 1190 – 1208. Available from: Business Source Complete [April 26, 2014]. Ross, P & Bamber, GJ 2009, 'Strategic Choices in Pluralist and Unitarist Employment Relations Regimes: A Study of Australian Telecommunications', Industrial & Labor Relations Review, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 24-41. Available from: JSTOR [28 April 2014].Silverman, J nd, How Labor Unions Work. Available from: . [3 May 2014]. Unions, 2012. Available from: . [3 May 2014].Verma, A 2005, 'What do unions do in the workplace? Union Effects on HRM and HRM Policies,” Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 415 – 449. Available from: SpringerLINK [April 28 2014].