7 - Union terrains

Summary

ABSTRACT

Labour unions are institutions that develop to defend or advance the collective interests of groups of workers. When examining labour unions and movements over a longer historical scope, the terrain upon which they operate has been subjected to constant and far-reaching change. This chapter seeks to understand the current terrain in the UK by placing labour unions within their historical context. Drawing upon a critical account of the existing literature, it addresses the debates on union decline and renewal, different organizing models, and factors that shape the environment in which labour unions operate. This involves situating labour unions within a more expansive understanding of the terrain – both being changed by external factors and the ways in which labour unions and their allies have sought to change these. It also differentiates between the key present terrains for unions in the UK, summarizing the key differences and factors involved.

Keywords: External and environmental terrains; challenges for unions

INTRODUCTION

Labour unions are institutions that have been developed to defend or advance the collective interests of groups of workers. The origins of labour unions involve collective organizing and negotiation in opposition to employers, often within a hostile environment. At their roots then is a “unionateness” that Blackburn (1967: 19) outlines, which involves:

… collective bargaining and the protection of the interests of members, as employees, as its main function, rather than, say, professional activities or welfare schemes … It is independent of employers for purposes of negotiation … It is prepared to be militant, using all forms of industrial action which may be effective.

However, as labour unions develop and grow, they can become subjected to different pressures and interests, including the development of a layer of bureaucracy (see Chapter 15), institutionalization within bargaining procedures, amalgamation into larger formations, political engagement, regulation, and so on.

The current conjuncture for labour unions in the UK is one of longer-term secular decline, including membership limited within certain sectors of the economy and society (particularly the public sector), an ageing membership profile, a reliance upon a “service” unionism model, close links with a declining political party and operating in an increasingly hostile context – both in terms of employment relations and the relationship with the state and state regulation.