Union politics, purpose and democracy: To be or not to be? Optimism, pessimism and the continuing importance of Richard Hyman’s early contributions

Abstract

Richard Hyman’s work presents us with a rich portrayal of questions of solidarity and its meaning, the re-imagining of union roles, and the complex identity of unions, located in a concern with emancipation and worker representation. Hyman’s early work of the 1970s acts as a vital precursor for such concerns and offers a rich set of concepts explaining the dilemma of labour representation, its inherent instability, and the importance of the role of the political in shaping it, even if the concept of the political is underdeveloped. Drawing on a series of texts in a discursive and reflective manner, it points to the irony that the discussion in that period has more to tell us than many currently think. The question of politics and democracy – and purpose – in trade unions is discussed in terms of the tensions and ambivalence that exists within the employment relation and the way notions of achievement and progress are understood, and not just the contouring of the institutional landscape.