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The tail that wags the dog: lessons from London’s independent trade unions for class struggle trade unionism

The tail that wags the dog: lessons from London’s independent trade unions for class struggle trade unionism

Weghmann, Vera (2023) The tail that wags the dog: lessons from London’s independent trade unions for class struggle trade unionism. Employee Relations. ISSN 0142-5455 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-01-2022-0046)

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Abstract

This article examines in what way strategies of new independent trade unions in London - that achieved many pioneering, high-profile victories to end outsourcing - offer learning opportunities for more established trade unions. It proposes to (re-)encourage a culture of class struggle trade unionism. The article builds on existing research that outlined the organising practices of these independent trade unions but breaks down the binary analysis of independent versus established trade unions. I use the acronym CARE (Collectivising individual grievances, Action, Relations of trust and care, Escalating confrontations) as an analytical framework for exploring class struggle trade unionism, and examine in what ways these strategies have been (re)-learnt by established trade unions through the example of independent trade unions. In doing so, this article contributes to a much wider debate on trade union renewal.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: trade unions; migrant workers; low wages; industrial action; trade union renewal UK; class struggle trade unionism
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Business
Last Modified: 21 Jun 2024 09:49
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/42672

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