Abstract:
The primary function of a labor union is to promote and protect the interest of its members,
improve working and living conditions and represent workers' interests. The objective of the
research is to assess role of labor union practices in Ambo Mineral Water S.C. by applying
descriptive research design and qualitative research approach. Secondary and primary data
were used; and documents were reviewed for this purpose and interview questionnaires were
used to collect primary data. The research has employed purposive sampling technique and 137
respondents were participated in addition to managers and the union leader for this purpose. To
analyze the data from the questionnaire the researcher applied descriptive statistics such as
tables, frequency distribution, percentage sand mean techniques and with regard to interview
questions content and thematic analysis were used. The finding shows that labor union role in
protecting employee’s interest, in promoting industrial democracy and in maintaining peaceful
employment relation had an average mean value of 3.36, 3.37 and 3.89 respectively implying that
in good position even though there is a problem with failing to provides financial service for those
employees who are in need of help (personal problem or legal case) and less participation of the labor
union to improve the financial conditions of employees, inability to fully participate in strategic issues of
the company and its less involvement in the designing and implementation of employee reward systems
and low performance of the union in having mutual understanding, trust and cooperation with
the management, and limitations to advert disciplinary and performance problems in the work
place.The collective implication of the analysis, i.e, role of labor union in protecting employee
interest, role of labor union in industrial democratization and role of labor union in maintaining
peaceful employment relation that labor union is positively contributing to the well functioning
of the company in general
