Trade Union Mergers Research Articles

The International Trade Union Confederation: From Two (or More?) Identities to One

AbstractThe International Trade Union Confederation was founded in 2006, consisting primarily of former affiliates of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour (although its creation was not formally a merger). I show how changes in the ideologies and identities of both confederations helped to overcome years of mutual antagonism and paved the way for unification. I consider the unification process in the broader perspective of the literature on trade union mergers but stress the need to focus on the role of ideas in such structural changes. The conclusion considers the problems the new confederation faces in developing a common set of ideas and a clear identity out of the separate orientations of its forerunners.

Trade union merger strategies: good or bad?

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to review the significance of Roger Undy's book, Trade Union Merger Strategies: Purpose, Process and Performance, Oxford University Press, 2008.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial outlines and evaluates the arguments put forward by Dr Undy to explain why trade union mergers take place. It also evaluates the book's analysis of the politics of trade union mergers.FindingsAs trade union membership has declined mergers have been prominent features in strategies of union revival. Yet, there is little empirical research into the effects of mergers on the unions actually merging or on their impact on the wider union movement. Dr Undy concludes that mergers do not provide a solution to the problem of falling membership and that transfers of engagements are often more successful than amalgamations.Originality/valueThe editorial offers insights into the process, performance and effects of trade union mergers.

A new emerging trend? Cross border trade union mergers

PurposeThe purpose of this editorial is to examine moves towards cross border trade union mergers.Design/methodology/approachThis editorial outlines the reasons why trade unions see the need to act outside their nation state boundaries.FindingsIn the globalised economy if trade unions are to defend and advance the living standards of their members they cannot confine their activities to their national labour markets. Currently, trade unions attempt to do this via multi‐lateral link ups via Global Trade Union Federations and by developing links with their sister unions in other countries. A new mechanism is now being developed by trade unions to counter balance the economic strength of multi‐nationals, namely cross border trade union mergers.Originality/valueThe editorial offers insights into the reasons for, and gives examples, for the emerging trend of the movement towards cross border trade union mergers.

A Strategic Choice–resource Dependence Analysis of Union Mergers in the British and Australian Broadcasting and Film Industries

Since the late 1980s there has been a marked increase in the rate of union restructuring and merger in both Britain and Australia. This has been particularly prevalent in the film and broadcasting industries in both countries. This organizational change has largely been triggered by environmental turbulence which has altered the availability and control of resources required for organizational survival. Accepting the concept from strategic choice theory that trade unions are able to exercise a degree of choice over the way in which they manage and adapt to changes in their external and internal environments, the paper demonstrates how an integration of strategic choice and resource dependence perspectives can explain why organizations behave in different ways and, in particular, why trade union mergers in the film and broadcasting industries have occurred. Further, the perspective also explains why some trade unions chose not to merge. An integration of resource dependence theory with strategic choice theory explains why trade unions make particular strategic decisions. Conversely, strategic choice explains how organizations acquire resources and manage dependencies. The paper concludes by making the case for an integration of the two perspectives for future studies of organizational behaviour and change.

Trade Union Mergers in British and Australian Television Broadcasting

A complex set of forces facing trade union organizations has meant that union restructuring vis‐à‐vis merger activity has been a prominent feature of many Western labour movements in the 1980s and 1990s. This paper is located in these structural developments, and its main contribution lies in the insights provided by an in‐depth examination of recent union merger activity in commercial television in the UK and Australia. In contrast to the work of Undy et al. (1981), the results suggest that union mergers are influenced by more than changes in membership patterns, and that the delineation of merger categories may be far more complex than what has previously been identified by their model. It is argued, too, that the nature of the forces and the processes that led to the broadcasting union mergers in the UK and Australia were significantly influenced by the different institutional contexts of both countries. Finally, and related to this, it would appear that union merger outcomes (at least in the short term) are linked to the preceding processes by which merger is brought about. One policy implication of this is that anything other than a case‐by‐case evaluation of union mergers may be misleading.

Trade Union Mergers: Causes & Consequences

Firstly, the method and scope of research is outlined, secondly, distinctions are made between merging unions, thirdly, the reasons for merging and the kinds of advantages sought by the major merging unions are considered and, fourthly, the continuing research into the consequences of mergers for the unions involved and the wider union movement is noted.

Measuring mergers and concentration in UK unions 1910–88

Trade union mergers are currently attracting much attention. This is in the context of the continuing decline of trade unions and the role of mergers in maintaining their viability. However, a still neglected and important aspect of their development is how to measure with accuracy, the concentration which results from mergers.

Trade Union Mergers: A Study of Trade Union Structural Dynamics

Trade Union Mergers: A Study of Trade Union Structural Dynamics

Trade union mergers and competition in British banking

This article examines union merger discussions in the clearing banks in relation to the model developed by Undy et al. ‘Emphasising the importance of ideological differences and the proposed distribution of power in the negotiations, it argues more stress be placed on internal political factors in explaining merger patterns.

Book Review: Labor Organizations: Trade Union Mergers and Labor Conglomerates

Book Review: Labor Organizations: Trade Union Mergers and Labor Conglomerates

Trade Union Mergers and Labor Conglomerates.

Trade Union Mergers and Labor Conglomerates.