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Public sector trade unionism in the UK

Author

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  • Gemma Edwards

    (University of Manchester, gemma.m.edwards@manchester.ac.uk)

Abstract

This article explores the potential contribution of Habermas’s social theory to debates on union decline and renewal in the UK public sector. It employs data relating to 2004—5 research on the National Union of Teachers (NUT) to suggest that two of Habermas’s concepts are particularly valuable when considering strategies to increase membership activity. The concept of ‘communicative action’ is useful for highlighting the importance of spaces for collective discussion among members, while the concept of ‘colonization’ allows an appreciation of the ways in which these ‘communicative spaces’ are being increasingly eroded in the course of public sector restructuring. In this context, NUT strategies for renewing membership activity involve opening up alternative communicative spaces for members in schools, the union, and online.

Suggested Citation

  • Gemma Edwards, 2009. "Public sector trade unionism in the UK," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(3), pages 442-459, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:23:y:2009:i:3:p:442-459
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017009337075
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. Patricia Fosh, 1993. "Membership Participation in Workplace Unionism: The Possibility of Union Renewal," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 31(4), pages 577-592, December.
    3. Thomas Klikauer, 2007. "The Origins of Communication and Management at Work," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Communication and Management at Work, chapter 2, pages 21-42, Palgrave Macmillan.
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    5. Richard B. Freeman, 2005. "From the Webbs to the Web: The Contribution of the Internet to Reviving Union Fortunes," NBER Working Papers 11298, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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