The relationship between union service delivery, motivation and job satisfaction amongst unionised workers in a media organisation in the Western Cape

Abstract

Each year many organisations spend millions of rands on performance management systems or interventions on their employees. Many of these interventions contribute significantly to the bottom-line of such organisations, however, various environmental considerations should be considered as these may impact on employee performance, attitudes, motivation and output. Companies and organisations should be aware of such external environmental forces which might impact on employee morale. The purpose of the current research is to determine employee satisfaction towards union service delivery and the effect it might have on their motivation. For the purposes of the research, the term customer applies to all union members being serviced by the union and enjoying benefits of negotiations at a centralised or de-centralised level. More generally, trade unions and collective bargaining are seen to enhance the dignity of workers and their control of their working lives, hence the important role trade unions play within the workplace. Service deliveries from a trade union to its members are an important element of employee behaviour and motivation. The research will aim to measure union member’s (customer) satisfaction of the service they receive from their union and the impact it possibly has on motivation. The hypothesis of the research is that if workers are satisfied by the service they receive from their trade union their motivational levels will also be high. Alternatively, if workers are dissatisfied by the service they receive from their trade union, their motivation will be low.