Trying to Stem the Flow: Union Membership Turnover in the Public Sector

Waddington, Jeremy; Kerr, Allan

doi:10.1111/1468-2338.00119

Cited by 35 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…vi Comparing the characteristics of the leaves based on register information with the sample of 251 leavers find those working in small companies (less than 50 workers) are likely to be overestimated in the sample (49%) compared to the registered leaves (39%). vii Comparing our findings to other cases, like the UK (Gallie 1996;Waddington and Kerr 1999;Waddington 2006), personal and work-related reasons have a greater impact in CCOO-Catalonia, meaning that personal or job situations affect the probability of leaving beyond their affects on the union itself and its functioning. Non-union related reasons also differ somewhat from those of Waddington (2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Why do workers leave unions? Group differences between workers in CCOO-Catalonia

Jódar

Alòs

Vidal

2011

Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research

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This study analyses the characteristics of members leaving trade unions in Spainspecifically the Catalonia branch of Workers' Commissions (CCOO-Catalonia) -alongside their reasons for leaving using a variety of data sources. Our findings indicate higher union attrition among members in more precarious employment situations (i.e. temporary employment, low seniority). In general, union leavers confirm that their job situation is an important reason for leaving the union. We therefore conclude that efforts made by unions to support members in vulnerable labor market positions are important in order to reduce rates of union attrition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 51%

Why do workers leave unions? Group differences between workers in CCOO-Catalonia

Jódar

Alòs

Vidal

2011

Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research

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“…It also indicates that holding such critical views does not preclude trade union membership per se. The extent of these Ϫ64.0 1420 members **Differences between members and non-members statistically significant at pϽ0.01 criticisms points to difficulties in retaining young workers in membership rather than in organising them, particularly as the absence of contact between members and representatives and the absence of communication from the union may prompt members to leave (Waddington and Kerr, 1999).…”

Section: Views Towards a Union Agenda And Union Organisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unions fit for young workers?

Waddington

Kerr

2002

Industrial Relations Journal

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If trade unions are to reverse the membership decline sustained since 1979, more young workers must be recruited. This paper examines the views of young workers towards trade unions by reference to survey data. It argues that there is little evidence of a 'Thatcher's children' effect in which principled opposition to trade unionism is widespread. Instead the paper shows that shifts in the labour market, the effects of employer resistance to trade unionism and union inefficiencies have a marked effect on the unionisation of young workers. Throughout much of Western Europe, trade union membership is declining.Nowhere is this decline more marked than among young workers. As a consequence, the average age of trade unionists is rising, and differences between trade unionists and young workers in perception, culture and identity are widening. This 'dangerous gulf' is portrayed by senior trade unionists as bringing into question the future of trade union movements, which are dependent for renewal on the recruitment of young workers (Morris, 1986). This paper examines the linkages between young workers and trade unions in Britain by reference to survey results. It addresses the policy implications of these linkages, or their absence, and the competing explanations advanced to explain the current decline in unionisation among young workers. The paper argues that there is little ideological opposition to trade unionism among young people, but the impact of employer resistance to unions and union inefficiencies are more influential in accounting for the failure to recruit more young workers.A recent review of unionisation among young people in Western Europe showed that rates of unionisation among young people are lower than among their older counterparts and that the rate of unionisation for young people is declining more steeply than among older workers (Serrano Pascual and Waddington, 2000).

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“…It is difficult for unions to generate collective responses to redundancy events (Lévesque and Murray, 2010;Kelly, 1998), particularly when they are local (Stroud and Fairbrother, 2012). Restructuring practices often give rise to a process of de-collectivization of employment relations (Waddington and Kerr, 1999). Focusing on the ways unions operate and organize in redundancy contexts, Stroud and Fairbrother (2012) observe fragmented and uncoordinated union responses, where local unions are unable to build internal and external solidarity.…”

Section: Union Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Pathways to Above-Mandatory Severance Pay When Downsizing: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 20 Cases in France

Garaudel

Beaujolin

Noël

et al. 2016

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When it comes to negotiating over a collective dismissals plan, the French national legal framework explicitly encourages social partners to favour outplacement services over significant indemnity payments. However, significant above-mandatory redundancy payments are commonly granted to laid-off workers. Based on these factual observations, this article aims to identify the antecedent conditions, or, more precisely, the combinations of conditions, that lead to the granting of a large severance pay. We conducted a qualitative comparative analysis (Crisp set QCA) methodology applied to 20 monographs on downsizing operations that took place in France during the 2000s. The results show that above-mandatory severance payments are closely related to two major dimensions characterizing the economic and social context in which restructuring processes are carried out. The first one is about the balance of power prevailing between the company decisionmakers and the employees. This balance of power dimension is subsumed by two distinct conditions: the availability of financial resources and the presence of active unions. The second dimension relates to the moral and economic damages inflicted upon laid-off workers. This dimension is intrinsically connected to two downsizing process features, i.e. the perceived degree of legitimacy associated with the downsizing process and the degree of employability associated with the laid-off workers. Most notably, it appears that none of the identified conditions is sufficient by itself to induce the payment of a significant above-mandatory indemnity. However, some causal conditions may induce the outcome variable when they are combined with some specific other antecedent conditions. Thus, our research shows that the financial resource condition leads to the granting of an above-mandatory indemnity either in conjunction with a low degree of worker’s employability or in conjunction with both a weak perceived legitimacy of the restructuring process and the presence of active unions.Les dispositifs légaux français qui encadrent les suppressions d’emplois incitent explicitement les partenaires sociaux à négocier des accords mettant l’accent sur le reclassement des salariés licenciés plutôt que sur l’indemnisation financière. Pourtant, l’octroi d’indemnités supra-légales semble bien inscrit dans les pratiques des entreprises françaises. Cet article tente d’identifier les conditions ou, plus précisément, les combinaisons de conditions qui conduisent à l’octroi d’indemnités supra-légales. Pour cela, nous avons mené une analyse qualitative comparée (Crisp set QCA) de 20 cas de restructurations ayant eu lieu en France au cours de la décennie 2000. Les résultats montrent que les indemnités de licenciement sont conditionnées par deux dimensions principales du contexte économique et social dans lequel se déroulent les suppressions d’emplois. D’une part, l’instauration d’un rapport de force favorable aux salariés est nécessaire. Celui-ci dépend soit de la disponibilité de ressources financières, so...

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Trying to Stem the Flow: Union Membership Turnover in the Public Sector

Cited by 35 publications

References 12 publications

Why do workers leave unions? Group differences between workers in CCOO-Catalonia

Why do workers leave unions? Group differences between workers in CCOO-Catalonia

Unions fit for young workers?

Understanding the Pathways to Above-Mandatory Severance Pay When Downsizing: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 20 Cases in France

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