Factors preventing public university academic staff involvement in trade unions.

Abstract

Trade unions in Malaysia play an important role in upholding workers' rights through collective voice and consultation with employers to defend the interests of their members. However, there are various factors that prevent the academic staff of public universities from engaging with trade unions in their universities. The focus of this study is to identify factors that hinder the involvement of public university academic staff in trade unions. This study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to achieve its objectives. A total of 168 academic staff members responded to the questionnaire. The quantitative data obtained is then analysed using SPSS software. A structured interview session involving 13 informants among members and non-trade union members was also conducted. The results showed that the level of factors hindering the involvement of academic staff was moderate. While qualitative findings found four factors that hinder the involvement of academic staff in trade unions, namely (i) the roles and functions of trade unions, (ii) the influence of friends, (iii) the terms of membership, and (iv) personal responsibility. The study suggests that public university trade unions should organise various awareness programmes for academic staff to encourage their participation in trade unions.