IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/treure/v26y2020i2p207-222.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘We just get a bit set in our ways’: renewing democracy and solidarity in UK trade unions

Author

Listed:
  • Heather Connolly

    (Grenoble Ecole de Management, Univ Grenoble Alpes ComUE, Grenoble, France)

Abstract

In a broader context of austerity, sustained financial pressures and policies of restructuring and outsourcing have steadily eroded traditional features of UK public sector employment such as job security, fair reward and collective representation through trade unions. This article examines how a UK trade union representing local government workers attempted to respond more effectively to radical restructuring plans. By engaging in a process of democratic experimentation, full-time officials from above and activists from below sought to challenge the existing ‘insider’ relationship between branch officers and management, which was seen as ineffective in responding to a severe disruption in the regulation of local government employment. Drawing on participatory ethnographic research, the findings show the importance of leadership in the processes towards union renewal and the tensions and struggles underlying democracy and solidarity. Union renewal is presented here as a dialectical process and set of responses involving both strategic direction from above and membership pressure and activism from below.

Suggested Citation

  • Heather Connolly, 2020. "‘We just get a bit set in our ways’: renewing democracy and solidarity in UK trade unions," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(2), pages 207-222, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:treure:v:26:y:2020:i:2:p:207-222
    DOI: 10.1177/1024258920920822
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1024258920920822
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1024258920920822?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hyman, Richard, 2015. "The very idea of democracy at work," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65573, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Gregor Murray, 2017. "Union renewal: what can we learn from three decades of research?," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(1), pages 9-29, February.
    3. Damian Grimshaw & Mat Johnson & Stefania Marino & Jill Rubery, 2017. "Towards more disorganised decentralisation? Collective bargaining in the public sector under pay restraint," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 22-41, January.
    4. Richard Hyman, 1994. "Theory and Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 165-180, June.
    5. Stephen Bach & Alexandra Stroleny, 2014. "Restructuring UK local government employment relations: pay determination and employee participation in tough times," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 20(3), pages 343-356, August.
    6. Kelly,John & Heery,Edmund, 1994. "Working for the Union," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521383202.
    7. Bob Carter & Andy Danford & Debra Howcroft & Helen Richardson & Andrew Smith & Phil Taylor, 2012. "‘Nothing gets done and no one knows why’: PCS and workplace control of Lean in HM Revenue and Customs," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 416-432, September.
    8. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2010. "Understanding union power: resources and capabilities for renewing union capacity," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 333-350, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Isabelle Ferreras & Ian MacDonald & Gregor Murray & Valeria Pulignano, 2020. "Einleitung: Institutionelles Experimentieren für bessere (oder schlechtere) Arbeit," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(2), pages 127-134, May.
    2. Isabelle Ferreras & Ian MacDonald & Gregor Murray & Valeria Pulignano, 2020. "L’expérimentation institutionnelle au travail, pour le meilleur (ou pour le pire)," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(2), pages 119-125, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tom Hunt & Heather Connolly, 2023. "Covid‐19 and the work of trade unions: Adaptation, transition and renewal," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 150-166, March.
    2. Saskia Boumans, 2024. "Employer Discretion: The Role of Collective Agreements in the Liberalization of Industrial Relations," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 77(2), pages 227-250, March.
    3. Grégory Jemine, 2023. "It takes two to tango: Reconceptualizing union power and union effectiveness in a relational perspective," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 445-470, November.
    4. Hrvoje Butković & Jan Czarzasty & Adam Mrozowicki, 2023. "Gains and pitfalls of coalitions: Societal resources as sources of trade union power in Croatia and Poland," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(1), pages 43-61, March.
    5. FitzRoy, Felix & Nolan, Michael A., 2020. "Towards Economic Democracy and Social Justice: Profit Sharing, Co-Determination, and Employee Ownership," IZA Discussion Papers 13238, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Torsten Geelan, 2013. "Responses of trade union confederations to the youth employment crisis," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 19(3), pages 399-413, August.
    7. David Peetz & Barbara Pocock, 2009. "An Analysis of Workplace Representatives, Union Power and Democracy in Australia," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(4), pages 623-652, December.
    8. Arthur Corazza, 2020. "Power, interest and insecurity: A comparative analysis of workplace dualization and inclusion in Europe," LEQS – LSE 'Europe in Question' Discussion Paper Series 153, European Institute, LSE.
    9. Geraint Harvey & Andy Hodder & Stephen Brammer, 2017. "Trade union participation in CSR deliberation: an evaluation," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 42-55, January.
    10. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2010. "Understanding union power: resources and capabilities for renewing union capacity," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 333-350, August.
    11. Moira Calveley & Geraldine Healy, 2003. "Political Activism and Workplace Industrial Relations in a UK ‘Failing’ School," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 41(1), pages 97-113, March.
    12. Genevieve Coderre-LaPalme & Ian Greer & Lisa Schulte, 2023. "Welfare, Work and the Conditions of Social Solidarity: British Campaigns to Defend Healthcare and Social Security," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(2), pages 352-372, April.
    13. Melanie Simms, 2013. "Special Issue. Edited by: Gregor Murray, Christian Lévesque, Christian Dufour and Adelheid Hege," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 373-388, July.
    14. Angelo Salento & Nicola Costalunga, 2023. "Sindacato, partecipazione, economia fondamentale," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2023(3), pages 15-33.
    15. Monika Martišková & Marta Kahancová & Jakub Kostolný, 2021. "Negotiating wage (in)equality: changing union strategies in high-wage and low-wage sectors in Czechia and Slovakia," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(1), pages 75-96, February.
    16. Gerry Looker, 2019. "Union organising and Full‐time Officers: acquiescence and resistance," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5-6), pages 517-531, November.
    17. Tim Morris, 1995. "Annual Review Article 1994," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 117-135, March.
    18. Marco Marrone & Paolo Borghi, 2023. "Ai margini del sindacato, il sindacato nei margini: democratizzazione, demercificazione e disinquinamento tra alleanze possibili e nuove pratiche," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2023(3), pages 35-52.
    19. Rosaria Burchielli & Timothy Bartram, 2007. "What makes organising work? A model of the stages and facilitators of organizing," Working Papers 2007.01, School of Economics, La Trobe University.
    20. A Charlwood & K Hansen & David Metcalf, 2000. "Unions and the Sword of Justice: Unions and Pay Systems, Pay Inequality, Pay Discrimination and Low Pay," CEP Discussion Papers dp0452, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:treure:v:26:y:2020:i:2:p:207-222. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.