British Trade Unions Facing the Future

Fairbrother, Peter

doi:10.1177/030981680007100103

Cited by 47 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Fosh's work did not refer to mobilization theory per se, but rather the linked notion of union renewal developed by Fairbother and Waddington (1990) and later in Fairbrother (1996;2000). Fosh's study of five diverse workplaces identified that union member engagement in union activity (formal and informal) cycled through a series of peaks and troughs, and that this activity was entirely consistent with 'local events' and their ability to generate employee dissatisfaction, ultimately leading to employees looking to their union for a collective response (consistent with mobilization theory's focus on a sense of grievance as the catalyst for collective action).…”

Section: Interrupting Restructuring: Social Movements and Mobilizatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging School Reform From Below: Is Leadership the Missing Link in Mobilization Theory?

Stevenson

2016

Leadership and Policy in Schools

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This article presents research relating to the experiences of union and communitybased campaigns that have sought to challenge the establishment of academy and free schools in England. Such schools are removed from local government control and are seen as a defining element of the neoliberal restructuring of public education.The research draws on social movement literature, and particularly mobilization theory, to better understand the dynamics of such campaigns and the contexts in which they can either thrive or wither. In the article I argue that mobilization theory provides a useful framework for such analysis but that it fails to adequately reflect the importance of individual agency and the role of leadership at a local level.Leadership of such campaigns is often assumed by individuals reluctantly, and often defies traditional descriptions of 'leadership', but must be recognised if mobilization theory is to avoid being overly deterministic.

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Section: Interrupting Restructuring: Social Movements and Mobilizatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging School Reform From Below: Is Leadership the Missing Link in Mobilization Theory?

Stevenson

2016

Leadership and Policy in Schools

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“…Most studies of union amalgamation are concerned with whether the strategy succeeded in increasing union power, enabling economies through more efficient use of resources, and achieving improved wages and conditions for members (see, for example, Fairbrother, 2000;Hose & Rimmer, 2002;Wooden, 1999). Some have considered how individual unions have resisted amalgamation (e.g., Michelson, 1997;Oliver, 2016).…”

Section: The Literature On Union Amalgamationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Union Amalgamation on Membership

Oliver

2016

Sage Open

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In 1980s and 1990s, Australian trade unions tried to combat declining influence and membership numbers by amalgamating with other unions in the same or related industries. Much has been written on union mergers, but little on how these affect the membership. This article aims to contribute to the literature of the impact of mergers and amalgamations on members but studying just one union, The West Australian Locomotive Engine Drivers, Firemen’s and Cleaners Union (LEDU; 1898-1999). In 1993, the three federal railway unions—the Australian Railways Union (ARU), the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees (AFULE), and the National Union of Railworkers (NUR), and one bus and tram union, the Australian Tramway & Motor Omnibus Employees Association (ATM)—amalgamated to become the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union (RTBU). The LEDU reluctantly joined the RTBU in 1999. This article examines rank and file reaction to the initial proposals and ultimately to becoming part of a larger union, covering workers with many different interests. The article concludes that, irrespective of whether or not amalgamation was inevitable, given the circumstances in Western Australia at the time, its impact upon the rank and file membership was devastating.

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“…Such developments clearly represented a challenge to union organization, however there are those who have argued that the same developments present organizing opportunities for unions (Heery, Delbridge and Simms, 1999). This emerges most cogently in the union renewal thesis (Fairbrother, 1996 and2000) whereby it is argued that decentralised and more aggressive forms of management are likely to generate workplace based tensions that in turn offer opportunities for labor unions to exploit, not least because the collective bargaining mechanisms that would previously have absorbed such conflicts no longer exist as they did before. Rather the contradictions and conflicts inherent in the labor process are laid bare.…”

Section: Teachers and Unions: Responses To Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher Unionism in Changing Times: Is This the Real “New Unionism”?

Stevenson

2015

Journal of School Choice

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A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. Drawing on data collected at national level, and in three local authority areas, I argue that the NUT's response to the erosion of collective bargaining is best presented as an amalgam of strategies focused on workplace organising, political campaigning and coalition building. The data demonstrates considerable congruence between national and local strategies, although local data reveals considerable challenges in implementation and consequently considerable unevenness in local experiences.

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British Trade Unions Facing the Future

Cited by 47 publications

References 45 publications

Challenging School Reform From Below: Is Leadership the Missing Link in Mobilization Theory?

Challenging School Reform From Below: Is Leadership the Missing Link in Mobilization Theory?

The Impact of Union Amalgamation on Membership

Teacher Unionism in Changing Times: Is This the Real “New Unionism”?

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