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Types of trade unions

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GPT-4o mini
Trade unions can be classified into several types based on their structure, membership, and objectives. Here are some of the primary types of trade unions:

1. **Craft Unions**: These unions represent workers who have a specific skill or trade, such as carpenters, electricians, or plumbers. Membership is typically limited to those in that particular craft.

2. **Industrial Unions**: These unions aim to represent all workers within a specific industry, regardless of the specific job they perform. For example, a union might represent all workers in the automobile manufacturing industry.

3. **General Unions**: These are broader unions that encompass workers from various trades and industries. Members may have diverse occupations, and the union focuses on overall worker rights and interests.

4. **Company Unions**: These are unions that are formed and maintained by the employees of a single company. They are often created in response to specific workplace issues but may have limited bargaining power compared to larger unions.

5. **Public Sector Unions**: These unions represent employees in the public sector, including government employees, teachers, and healthcare workers. They advocate for worker rights and benefits within government and public services.

6. **White-collar Unions**: These unions represent professionals and office workers, such as teachers, nurses, and clerical staff. They focus on issues relevant to non-manual labor sectors.

7. **Mixed Unions**: These unions combine different types of workers, including both skilled and unskilled laborers from various industries. They may advocate for broader social issues affecting all workers.

8. **Federations**: These are larger organizations that consist of multiple individual trade unions. They coordinate efforts across different unions to advocate for workers' rights on a larger scale.

9. **International Unions**: These unions operate across national boundaries and aim to represent workers in multinational corporations or industries that operate in multiple countries.

10. **Occupational Unions**: These unions represent all workers in a particular occupation within various industries. For example, a union may represent all nurses regardless of whether they work in hospitals, clinics, or other healthcare facilities.

Each type of trade union has unique goals and strategies for addressing the needs and challenges faced by their members.

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