An organisation of workers created to protect and advance the interests of its members by negotiating agreements on pay and conditions of work. The main objectives of unions are to obtain the following for their members: good rates of pay, good working conditions, job security, influence over government policy (through sponsorship of MPs and financial contributions to political parties). Trade unions provide individual workers with an influential voice over decisions about various aspects of their job. On their own, individual workers would have little influence. There are several different types of union, though the distinction between them has been made more difficult in recent years due to mergers and amalgamations.