IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/indrel/v50y2019i5-6p517-531.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Union organising and Full‐time Officers: acquiescence and resistance

Author

Listed:
  • Gerry Looker

Abstract

In the mid‐1990s, the TUC relaunched itself with a strategy for renewal labelled ‘new unionism’. The strategy had two strands: partnership with employers and the promotion among affiliate unions of grassroots union organising. The latter, heavily influenced by US and Australian experience, saw possibilities for a more radical trade unionism in the UK. This article draws on a case study of Unison to analyse the organising strand of new unionism. It identifies how top‐down approaches to organising are distorted by union bureaucracy for the priority of recruitment, not only limiting the possibility of emerging union radicalisation but also restricting the ability of trade unions to represent their members. The article also identifies that the position of union Full‐time Officers is complex and not necessarily within a uniform union bureaucracy juxtaposed to and restraining a more radical union rank and file.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:50:y:2019:i:5-6:p:517-531
    DOI: 10.1111/irj.12266
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/irj.12266
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/irj.12266?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. Jeremy Waddington, 2014. "Trade union membership retention and workplace representation in Europe," Working Papers 12286, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).
    2. Kelly,John & Heery,Edmund, 1994. "Working for the Union," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521383202.
    3. Jeremy Waddington & Allan Kerr, 2009. "Transforming a Trade Union? An Assessment of the Introduction of an Organizing Initiative," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 47(1), pages 27-54, March.
    4. Edmund Heery, 1998. "The Relaunch of the Trades Union Congress," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 339-360, September.
    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. David Etherington & Bob Jeffery & Peter Thomas & Martin Jones & Ben Ledger‐Jessop, 2023. "Trade union strategies to tackle labour market insecurity: Geography and the role of Sheffield TUC," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 261-277, 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. Bob Carter, 2001. "Lessons from America: Changes in the US Trade Union Movement," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 15(1), pages 185-194, March.
    2. Tim Morris, 1995. "Annual Review Article 1994," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 117-135, March.
    3. 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.
    4. Bradon Ellem, 2013. "Peak Union Campaigning: Fighting for Rights at Work in Australia," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 51(2), pages 264-287, June.
    5. Jack Fiorito & Irene Padavic & Philip S. DeOrtentiis, 2015. "Reconsidering Union Activism and Its Meaning," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 53(3), pages 556-579, September.
    6. 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.
    7. Sakhela Buhlungu & Mick Brookes & Geoffrey Wood, 2008. "Trade Unions and Democracy in South Africa: Union Organizational Challenges and Solidarities in a Time of Transformation," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 46(3), pages 439-468, September.
    8. Metcalf, David & Hansen, Kirstine & Charlwood, Andy, 2000. "Unions and the sword of justice: unions and pay systems, pay inequality, pay discrimination and low pay," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20195, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Paul F. Clark & Greg J. Bamber & Paul V. Whitehead & Lois S. Gray & Sandra Cockfield & Kay Gilbert, 2021. "Does Modernizing Union Administrative Practices Promote or Hinder Union Revitalization? A Comparative Study of US, UK and Australian Unions," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 370-397, June.
    10. John Kelly, 2015. "Trade union membership and power in comparative perspective," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(4), pages 526-544, December.
    11. Farai Ncube & Olabanji Oni, 2020. "Organizing Challenges Faced by Trade Unions in the Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 8(3), pages 167-181.
    12. Jeremy Waddington, 1995. "UK Unions: searching for a new agenda," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 1(1), pages 31-43, January.
    13. 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.
    14. Georg Adam, 2020. "Zur Dynamik der Arbeitsbeziehungen in vier EU-Mitgliedsländern (Finnland, Portugal, Rumänienund Slowenien): Ursachen und Auswirkungen," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 198, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    15. 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.
    16. Andy Charlwood, 2004. "Influences on Trade Union Organizing Effectiveness in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 42(1), pages 69-93, March.
    17. Edmund Heery & John Kelly, 1994. "Professional, Participative and Managerial Unionism: An Interpretation of Change in Trade Unions," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, March.
    18. Dribbusch, Heiner, 2005. "Trade Union Organising in Private Sector Services : Findings from the British, Dutch and German retail industry," WSI Working Papers 136, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    19. Michael Terry, 1996. "Negotiating the Government of Unison: Union Democracy in Theory and Practice," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 87-110, March.
    20. David Peetz & Georgina Murray & Olav Muurlink & Maggie May, 2015. "The meaning and making of union delegate networks," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(4), pages 596-613, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:indrel:v:50:y:2019:i:5-6:p:517-531. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0019-8692 .

    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.