Industry Change and Union Mergers in British Retail Finance

Abstract

This paper investigates the reasons for and implications of the recent merger between three of the largest unions in the retail finance sector, creating UNIFI. Recent union mergers have been explained by environmental changes adversely affecting membership and finances. These prompt leaders to consider merger as an appropriate organizational solution. Mergers are successfully concluded when leaders are able to overcome internal resistance and develop acceptable outcomes. We examine whether these factors are sufficient to explain how the merger between the national banking union and two large company-based staff unions was concluded, given longstanding institutional rivalry. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics 2001.

The Views of Members towards Workplace Union Organization in Banking between 1999 and 2008

“…The amalgamation to form Unifi constituted a final act of convergence between two staff associations and BIFU, a process that had been underway for more than 20 years (Gall 2001;Morris et al 2001). In the staff associations, members were more dependent on F-T-Os than on any other single type of office holder, reflecting the embedded nature of the servicing approach; whereas in BIFU, members were more likely to turn to a branch representative than to an F-T-O.…”

“…First, relations between BIFU and the LGU were difficult throughout the 1990s following a day of action instigated by BIFU in 1992 during which LGU members crossed the picket lines organized by BIFU members (Gall 1997;Morris et al 2001). Unifi and, latterly, the Finance Sections of AMICUS and UNITE, were thus in competition with the LGU for members throughout the period under examination.…”

The Potential of Labour−Management Partnership: A Longitudinal Case Analysis

“…Our empirical focus is a large British building society 'BuSoc' (a pseudonym) and the relationship with its recognized staff association/staff union. 2 The British financial service industry has a long history of labour−management cooperation between employers and representative bodies as well as high levels of union membership (Gall, 2008;Morris et al, 2001;Wilkinson and Holden, 1991). However, building societies have always remained a distinctive segment of the British financial services industry (Snape, Redman and Wilkinson, 1993).…”

Ringing the changes? Union recognition and organisation in call centres in the UK finance sector

“…On the basis of the findings reported here, and on what is known about sectoral developments (Morris et al, 2001), it is not possible to make a definitive calculation of the extent of union membership or density in finance sector call centres. However, despite uneven development in relation to individual unions and companies, the research indicates some growth in both union membership and employer recognition.…”