Right, but it's easier to set up a trade union for jobs which already have some barrier to entry or a big shared culture, because people are more likely to see themselves as "all in it together" and not break ranks.
There are logistical difficulties to persuading "everyone in Birmingham earning minimum wage" to form a union and negotiate as a unit[1], and it would be especially prone to people not already in the union undercutting the "union" wage. Legislation seems to solve the same problem more directly (if you don't think it's likely to be set too high).
[1] In fact, are you even _allowed_ to have unions across a whole swathe of unrelated jobs?
no subject
Date: 2013-04-17 03:54 pm (UTC)There are logistical difficulties to persuading "everyone in Birmingham earning minimum wage" to form a union and negotiate as a unit[1], and it would be especially prone to people not already in the union undercutting the "union" wage. Legislation seems to solve the same problem more directly (if you don't think it's likely to be set too high).
[1] In fact, are you even _allowed_ to have unions across a whole swathe of unrelated jobs?