The new workplace and trade unionism

Trade unions in Britain have experienced a major decline in membership over the past decade. From being important agents in British society, they are increasingly marginal to political action and work. Major legal and political constraints on their activity, changes in the nature of work and workers, and declining effectiveness have meant that they no longer occupy centre stage as they once did. This book brings together authoritative accounts of the nature and meaning of trade unionism in the workplace today. It examines the beliefs and practices of union memebers in differing forms of employment, as well as analysing the non-union firm and the issues of collectivism and individualism in these settings. It critically engages with new management philosophies such as HRM, and new union ideas, such as partnership unionism. Based on primary research into the new workplace in today's Britain, this book will be required reading for those wishing to obtain a critical understanding of collectivism in the workplace today. The future strategies of British trade unionism are also examined amid contradictory forces of exclusion, incorporation and renewal. The editors have gathered together contributions from leading academics who have systematically explored the nature of new industrial relations and new management philosophies and trade union responses.