Striking Research by a BAÜN Academic: Union Perception Among Nurses Plays a Greater Role Than Wages

Striking Research by a BAÜN Academic: Union Perception Among Nurses Plays a Greater Role Than Wages

The academic study co-authored by Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Salih Tosun, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Balıkesir University (BAÜN), produced remarkable findings by revealing that nurses’ expectations from unions are shaped not only by wage satisfaction but also directly by their perceptions of unions.

The study titled “From Wage Dissatisfaction to Union Expectations: The Mediating Role of Union Perception Among Nurses,” conducted by Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Salih Tosun together with Prof. Dr. Gökçe Cerev and Prof. Dr. Doğa Başar Sarıipek from Kocaeli University, was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN), which is ranked in the SSCI - Q1 category, the top tier of international journal rankings.

Providing information about the study, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Salih Tosun stated that the research was carried out through a mixed-method approach, in which quantitative data obtained from 210 nurses and in-depth interviews conducted with 22 nurses were analyzed together. Tosun noted that the findings questioned an important assumption that has long been discussed in the healthcare sector and emphasized that wage dissatisfaction alone does not explain union expectations and participation.

Referring to the research results, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Salih Tosun stated that widespread wage dissatisfaction among nurses does not directly increase union expectations; rather, the determining factor is how transparent, independent, fair, and representative unions are perceived to be. In this respect, he emphasized that union perception functions as a critical mediating mechanism that transforms economic dissatisfaction into union expectations.

Tosun also noted that the qualitative findings supported this picture, showing that nurses expect not only wage increases from unions, but also transparent governance, democratic participation, strong representation, and a structure independent from political influences. He stated that this demonstrates that unions are no longer seen merely as organizations defending economic interests, but as central actors of institutional trust and professional representation.

Drawing attention to another prominent point in the study, Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Salih Tosun stated that low trust in unions and the perception of exclusion from decision-making processes play an important role in nurses’ distant attitudes toward unions. He added that these findings show that union participation is shaped not only by financial expectations but also by perceptions of justice, trust, and representation. Evaluating the overall results of the study, Tosun emphasized that increasing union participation requires not only wage policies but also the strengthening of unions’ institutional structures. He further underlined that transparency, democratic functioning, and strong communication with members play a critical role in rebuilding trust in unions.

Article access link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.70580