The new shop stewards ‐ the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux?

Abstract

States that shop stewards have traditionally been viewed as “pivotal” to employee representation at the place of work. Given the changing composition of the workforce, increasingly part‐time and female, combined with the growth of non‐union firms, stewards are increasingly absent from many new workplaces. Argues that, in this environment, it is not only stewards that employees go to with workplace problems, but the voluntary sector and, in particular, the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux (CABx). The paper will then go on to outline the overlapping nature of the work of CAB advisers and stewards. The final section argues that, rather than replacing the traditional shop steward, CABx provide stewards, and unions generally, with the opportunity to reinforce their presence among sections of the workforce that have traditionally been alienated from the labour movement.