An Empirical Study ofMembershlp Participation in Trade Union Activities: Evidence from Selected Service Organizations in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examines the membership participation in trade unión activities. The empirical results discussed in this paper constitute the outcome of a study in five large-scale Service organizations in Sri Lanka. Data on membership participation were gathered mainiy through a survey of 500 randomly selected unión members of these organizations using a structured questionnaire and an interview. Methods such as Percentage Analysis, Chi-square Test,Fully Saturated Hierarchical Log-Liner Model (HLLM) and the Qualitative Method were used for data analysis. The results indícate a strong need for trade unions for employees. Further the findings show that a collection of personal, job and perceptual factors like: age, sex and the number of dependents, political activism, job experience, and perception about unión performance, unión leaders and labour-management relations influence membership participation in trade unión activities. The study attempts to gain i.nsights and establish implications of practical significance to unions, unión leaders and managers, and specially to those in Service organizations.