Influence of Trade Union Affiliation on Organizational Performance of Selected Kenya Tea Development Authority Managed Tea Factories, Kenya

Abstract

The study attempted to find out the influence of trade union affiliation on organizational performance in the tea processing industry in Kenya. This interest was motivated by a scarcity of literature on the relationship between trade union activities and their impact on employee productivity and, thus, organizational performance. The researcher used research hypotheses to guide him in achieving the objectives. A review of the existing literature revealed that trade unions engage in a wide range of activities on behalf of their members. The study used a Case Study design, with Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) managed factories serving as the study's unit of analysis. The sampling frame for this research included the sixty-six (66) KTDA-managed factories in Kenya, and the population was clustered into seven (7), according to the region of the factories. Simple random sampling was used to obtain a 30% sample of each of the seven (7) clusters. A purposive sampling was then used to select the Human Resource and Administration Managers, and simple random sampling to select two (2) unionizable employees, totaling three (3) respondents from each of the selected factories. Structured questionnaires were used as the appropriate research instrument to collect data from respondents. The study established that trade union affiliation had a significant relationship with the performance of an organization. The findings also revealed that trade unions play an important role in their members' work lives. Trade union activities, such as collective bargaining, strike actions, and employee representation, empower workers and eventually make them confident and productive, increasing organizational performance. The study recommends that trade union activities and a positive working relationship with trade unions be encouraged because they are linked to improving organizational performance.