Psychology and trade union participation: Joining, acting, quitting

This study examined the relationship between trade union commitment and union participation among blue-collar workers in South Africa. Survey questionnaires were completed by 93 participants (response rate = 62 %). Findings are consistent with previous research and showed that after controlling for demographic factors, 43% of the variance in participation can be explained by union commitment. In this study, Black participants displayed significantly higher levels of commitment and participation than their Coloured counterparts did.

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Organising experience of informal sector workers – a road less travelled

Employee Relations ◽

10.1108/er-03-2019-0162 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 798-817

Author(s):

Girish Balasubramanian ◽

Santanu Sarkar

Keyword(s):

Informal Sector ◽

Trade Union ◽

Collective Identity ◽

Trade Unions ◽

Single Case ◽

Content Type ◽

Study Approach ◽

The Social ◽

Union Participation ◽

Identity Model

PurposeThis paper uses the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA) framework of Zomeren et al. (2008) to explain the organising experiences of the informal sector workers engaged in large number in the world's largest shipbreaking industry located in the western Indian town of Alang.Design/methodology/approachA single case study approach was adopted to understand the participation of shipbreaking workers in their trade union and factors that influence their participation.FindingsSense of cohesive collective identity and injustice alongside efficacy considerations have shaped the organising experiences and affected the participation of informal sector workers in their union. The trade union was able to overcome the scourge of invisibility that has been one of the dominant features of informal sector employment.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper treated union participation as unidimensional. Besides, the subjective conceptualization of strengths of perceptions of injustice, identities and efficacy considerations could be a limitation. The paper does acknowledge the gendered nature of shipbreaking but have not actively pursued it as a part of our research.Practical implicationsThe findings of our study are an exemplar for those who intend to organise informal sector workers, especially precarious workers. The empirical findings allude to the role of trade unions in combating the invisibility, which is one of the defining features of informal sector workers through a distinctive, cohesive identity inculcated in those workers.Originality/valueThis paper has borrowed the SIMCA framework to explore union participation. Organising experiences of precarious workers from the developing world provides a contextual and an empirical novelty to our study.

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Trade union participation in CSR deliberation: an evaluation

Industrial Relations Journal ◽

10.1111/irj.12167 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 42-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Geraint Harvey ◽

Andy Hodder ◽

Stephen Brammer

Keyword(s):

Trade Union ◽

Union Participation

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Alternative and parallel career paths for women: the case of trade union participation

Work Employment and Society ◽

10.1177/0950017006061273 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 47-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Gill Kirton

Keyword(s):

Trade Union ◽

Career Paths ◽

Paid Work ◽

Life Activity ◽

Public And Private ◽

The Public ◽

Employment Barriers ◽

Union Participation ◽

Significant Life ◽

Gendered Employment

This article argues that a broader, horizontal and multiple concept of career helps us to understand women’s union participation. Women frequently commit to and actively balance more than one significant life activity - each of which can be conceptualized as a career - in the public and private spheres. These careers inter-relate and overlap, sometimes complementing each other, sometimes conflicting; thus commitment to, progression in, or setbacks for one mode of career cannot be understood without appreciation of the others. The study shows that within a context of gendered employment barriers and constraints, a trade union career can often constitute an alternative or parallel career for women, to which some women commit the energy and resources many people reserve for their paid work careers. The article also explores the private meanings attached to careers, revealing union careers as a subjective and moral project.

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