Why Do Workers Join Trade Unions?

Authors

  • Damiano Kulundu Manda University of Nairobi
  • Germano Mwabu University of Nairobi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56279/ter.v9i2.49

Keywords:

trade union membership, union density, manufacturing; Kenya

Abstract

This paper uses data from manufacturing firms in Kenya to analyse the determinants of trade unionism. Matched worker-firm data from a recent Kenya manufacturing enterprise survey is used to estimate a reduced-form probit model of union membership. The results show that the likelihood of being a union member decreases with schooling; but is higher for full-time, married, and city employees. We conclude that Kenyan workers become union members to protect job tenure and to improve working conditions.


JEL Classification: J32, J51, J52

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Author Biographies

Damiano Kulundu Manda, University of Nairobi

School of Economics, University of Nairobi

Germano Mwabu, University of Nairobi

School of Economics, University of Nairobi

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Published

2019-12-31

How to Cite

Manda, D., & Mwabu, G. (2019). Why Do Workers Join Trade Unions?. Tanzanian Economic Review, 9(2), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.56279/ter.v9i2.49

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019): Tanzanian Economic Review

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish in the Tanzania Economic Review retain the copyright to their work and grant the University of Dar es Salaam a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, and distribute the article.

this article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.