Compete or Cooperate: Determinants of Union Behavior in Sri Lanka Railways

How conflicts between unions and management are resolved determines public organization performance and workers' welfare. During the conflict, Unions may either compete with management focusing solely on union members' benefits, or cooperate with management for the betterment of the whole organization. Though there is extensive research on union behavior, primarily on union strikes, limited attention has been paid to the factors that determine the approach unions adopt while dealing with management. Using a structured survey of 125 Union management members across 34 unions in a multi-unionized public sector institution, Sri Lanka Railways, this study suggests that union power and public service motivation determine the approach adopted by unions. Findings contribute to the limited research on the interaction between union power, public service motivation, and their effect on union behavior in public sector organizations in developing country contexts.