Abstract
The industrial relations literature tends to argue that workers join trade unions primarily for instrumental reasons, for example, to obtain assistance if there is a problem at work. But this clearly does not apply to people who are not in work. It is in many ways counterintuitive to join a trade union when one is not an employee or in paid employment, looking for a job, or retired. Generally, there is little material benefit in doing so. Others have noted, however, that personal values, particularly associated with the ideological left, can cultivate a predisposition toward joining a union that is not based on a purely material calculus. Nevertheless, this analysis is usually applied to workers. The research reflected in this article aims to understand the motivation of people who are not in paid employment, such as jobseekers/unemployed, students and retirees, to join labour unions and become active within them. It does so through a case study of the United Kingdom’s largest private sector union, Unite, and considers the contribution to, or rationale for, union activism within community membership and the possibilities for rethinking trade unionism beyond its traditional workplace base.
Highlights
Given the considerable decline of trade union density in many Western countries over the past half century, increasing attention has been paid to how unions might broaden their base to involve a wider membership constituency
Our study suggests that unions may expand their membership by becoming relevant to people who are politically committed but who are not in paid employment, yet have a desire to be actively involved in a union movement that sees itself as a broader social movement to improve working people’s lives towards a more equal/just society
Unite’s community initiative offers the potential for a reimagining of how unions could organise in such a way as to include a much wider demographic who are interested in being active in social justice campaigns
Summary
Given the considerable decline of trade union density in many Western countries over the past half century, increasing attention has been paid to how unions might broaden their base to involve a wider membership constituency. Our study suggests that unions may expand their membership (and union activism) by becoming relevant to people who are politically committed (in terms of social justice) but who are not in paid employment, yet have a desire to be actively involved in a union movement that sees itself as a broader social movement to improve working people’s lives towards a more equal/just society. By focusing on narratives from a few of the interviewees we are able to unpack individual stories in more detail This allowed us to explore how social norms, individual values and a collective and class-based sense of belonging have a profound influence on the willingness of people not in paid employment to join and be active in a trade union. Nor has membership expanded much beyond the over 50s age group, suggesting its appeal is mainly to those with a history of trade union activism, or people with experience of similar structured campaigning organisations, or even just people with time on their hands
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