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Partnership & Organizing

Partnership & Organizing. Edmund Heery Centre for Global Labour Research. Relationship between partnership & organising. Partnership needs powerful unions Employer-dominant partnership Concession bargaining Union-dominant partnership Extension of bargaining/influence

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Partnership & Organizing

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  1. Partnership & Organizing Edmund Heery Centre for Global Labour Research

  2. Relationship between partnership & organising • Partnership needs powerful unions • Employer-dominant partnership • Concession bargaining • Union-dominant partnership • Extension of bargaining/influence • Sources of power in effective partnership • Bargaining power; political influence; legal rights • Membership & collective organization

  3. Relationship • Organising must be prioritised in all other union policies (mainstreaming) • Union decline in Wales • All employees 1998-2006: -13.1% • Private sector 2003-2006: -11.4% • Public sector 2003-2006: -1.4% • Effects of decline • Loss of income, bargaining power & legitimacy • Can partnership help reverse decline?

  4. Using partnership: Organizing the employer • Offering a partnership agreement to establish a new workplace union • 49% of officers reported ‘occasional’ use of this tactic in 2002 (n=572) • Motives • Cost-effective recruitment • Means to recruit hard to organize groups • Out competing other unions by attracting employer support

  5. Organizing the employer • Costs • Bidding down terms of recognition • Ineffective organizing price of employer support • Cases from the Organizing Academy • Manufacturing – recruitment on basis of individual services in company workwear • Communications – blocking of organising campaign for fear of alienating agency partner • Retail – management complaint about contravening partnership when issue-based organizing used

  6. Using partnership: organizing workers • Using the resources of the employer to contact & organize workers • Cardiff survey of organizing campaigns, 98-05 • Recruitment at point of induction: 30% • Workplace recruitment meetings: 50% • Use of employer provided list: 66% (N=236) • Benefits of employer support to organizing • Cardiff survey of organizing campaigns, 98-05 • Shorter, less resource intensive campaigns • Organizing around diversity & workplace learning • Outcomes: majority membership; recognition; strengthening of workplace organization

  7. Organizing workers • Costs of employer supported organizing • Organizing message more likely to stress partnership & individual services But • Campaigns no less likely to use issue-based organizing and stress collective strength, bargaining power, and protective function of unions • Organizers reassure members employer is supportive • Employer-supported organizing does not lead to ineffectual unionism

  8. Questions for discussion • Is there a link between partnership & organizing in public services in Wales? • How is the partnership agreement with WAG being used to promote organizing? • What are the strengths & weaknesses of the approaches adopted? • How might partnership with WAG be used to strengthen & extend trade unionism in the future?

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