This book makes a major contribution to the debate within the UK and abroad on the reality of workplace unionism in an era of change. Drawing on examples of union renewal, the authors present an historical overview, and compare the UK experience with contrasting international examples. It presents both qualitative and quantitative research to provide new and comprehensive evidence on trade union strategies.

Andy Danford is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Employment Relations in the Employment Studies Research Unit at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England.

List of figures and tables

vii

Acknowledgements

ix

List of abbreviations

xi

Unions facing up to crisis

1

(23)

Crisis? What crisis?

1

(1)

Individualism and the new worker?

2

(3)

Work intensification and worker discontent

5

(2)

The new political economy

7

(2)

The new unionism

9

(8)

The new discourse of partnership

17

(3)

Scope and content

20

(4)

Union organising in the new workplace

24

(19)

Introduction

24

(3)

Workplace union characteristics

27

(1)

The high-performance workplace

28

(3)

Management--union relations at work: getting worse or getting better?

31

(2)

Employee discontents: on the increase

33

(2)

Trade unions and job participation

35

(4)

Recollectivisation at work?

39

(2)

Conclusion

41

(2)

Job reform and recollectivisation in the aerospace industry

43

(27)

The research base

45

(1)

Labour rationalisation

46

(3)

Decentralisation and plant unitisation

49

(5)

Teamworking

54

(5)

Recollectivisation and its organisation

59

(7)

Conclusion

66

(4)

Manufacturing change in an era of corporate instability

70

(27)

Introduction

70

(3)

The research base

73

(1)

UK and South West manufacturing in context

73

(3)

Ownership, control and restructuring of work

76

(11)

Management--union relations

87

(7)

Conclusion

94

(3)

The insurance industry -- back to basics

97

(25)

Introduction

97

(1)

The finance sector in the South West of England

98

(1)

Industrial relations traditions and practice

99

(1)

Questions for research and research base

100

(1)

Management practices and organisation of work

101

(3)

Union response

104

(8)

Organising in insurance: back to basics?

112

(8)

Conclusion

120

(2)

The paradox of partnership in the public sector

122

(22)

Introduction

122

(1)

The research base

123

(1)

GMB and MSF: variations in strategy

124

(3)

GMB organising in two local authorities

127

(6)

MSF organising in three NHS trusts

133

(8)

Conclusion

141

(3)

Negotiated privatisation in public utilities

144

(20)

Introduction

144

(2)

The changing organisation of work

146

(7)

Management--union relations

153

(4)

Employee discontents

157

(5)

Conclusion

162

(2)

What future?

164

(9)

The new workplace

164

(3)

Union responses

167

(4)

Resilience, recollectivisation, renewal

171

(2)

Appendix

173

(3)

Notes

176

(3)

References

179

(12)

Index

191

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