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TUC Organising Academy 10 Years on: what has been the impact?

Dr Jane Holgate

Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University 

Dr Mel Simms

Industrial Relations Research Unit, University of Warwick

Research funded by the Nuffield Foundation

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Research data

• 10 year, longitudinal study• 1 year participant observation of Academy (1998)• Surveys: union policies (x2), evaluation of training,

organising projects• Interviews with around 250 key participants• In-depth analysis of 8 organising campaigns and pen

portraits of many more• Documentary analysis especially organising policies,

recognition agreements, etc.

• Most recent round 2007-8- Email survey of Academy graduates- Interviews with 30 graduates and 26 other key actors - Observation of GMB, Unite (T&G) and Usdaw Academies

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Tension: what are we organising for?Fundamental political tension in the purpose of organising

activity - and therefore of NU and OA:

1.Participative unionism: Promoting a particular, member-led approach to trade unionism. Response to problem of lack of relevance of unions.2.Managed unionism: Immediate response to declining membership, bargaining leverage, declining finances etc. Management and professionalisation of organising process.

Never expressed coherently, never really exploredDebate expressed as ‘organising’ being contrasted with ‘partnership’ (Heery 1998, Carter and Fairbrother 1998)

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Recruit and train a cadre of specialist organisers Successful on many measures

TUC records vague – we identified 215 graduates over 9 years

Over 70% still working in union movement – around half as specialist organisers, half in other roles

Training rated as effective, appropriate and relevant – However, differences between core skills (rated higher) and strategic skills (rated lower)

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Targeting under-represented groups

Non-standard work - weak (Heery et al 2002)

BME workers – evidence stronger (Holgate 2004, 2005) but still significant barriers

Migrant workers – some high profile cases (e.g. Domino’s pizza) but inconsistent and difficult to sustain

Largely a function of the labour market segregation of these workers – demands expansionist organising activity

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Encourage expansionist organising activity

More equivocal

Some evidence – CAC process still being used, Unite’s Justice for Cleaners campaigns (Wills 2007)

But most unions recognise that infill work is a more efficient use of scarce resources– CAC applications tailed off to c60 p.a. – GMB

and Unite dominate – manufacturing dominates– Little evidence of voluntary recognition growing

significantly across the economy (Blanden et al 2006)

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Encourage investment in union organising activity Very difficult to evaluate – but certainly far off the

10% target set in late 1990s

Existence of specialist organisers and organising units in most unions marks a change with the past

But still in the minority – organising still strongly perceived as an entry level job, comparatively poorer terms and conditions, few senior jobs, little career progression

Generalist, ‘servicing’ roles still perceived as the norm

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Encourage a participatory approach to trade unionism Mixed – organising is now on the agenda Provides a narrative and justification for change

(Stuart and Martinez Lucio 2008): – For organisers as ‘agents of change’– And for a ‘roadmap’ for change

But evidence of deep tension between ‘servicing’ and ‘organising’ functions:– Unintended consequence of professionalising the organising

role– Organising not ‘mainstreamed’ in most unions– Organisers – fighting an entrenched, dominant culture

A direct consequence of the tension between managed unionism and participatory unionism – the politics of organising

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So why does this matter?

10 years of organising has not delivered significant membership growth - although decline may have been worse without it

Unions are not systematically trying to move into un-unionised sectors

Organising skills can be lost as specialist organisers move into generalist roles

Some evidence of culture change but some areas more visible movement than others - strong narrative of change

Directly related to the tension(s) inherent in ‘organising’