Workplace trade union activists in UK service sector organising campaigns

an article by Melanie Simms (Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK) published in Industrial Relations Journal Volume 44 Issue 4 (July 2013)

Abstract

This article examines the roles of activists as they develop during campaigns to establish a workplace union presence. Evidence shows that there is surprising variation within and between campaigns, which is explained by:

1. management decision making;
2. union policies and structures; and
3. the skills of the activists themselves.

This suggests UK union organising places considerable emphasis on supporting workplace activists with the knowledge, skills, and expertise of organisers and officers in the wider union.

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