Young and unionised in the UK? Insights from the public sector
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between trade unions and young workers in the UK using the Young Members’ Network of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
Findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 20 full-time officials and 39 lay officials of all ages, the collection and analysis of primary documents and observations at a range of union meetings.
Findings
It is argued that PCS has developed a strong network of young activists and is leading the way in terms of engaging with and representing young workers. However, its success in the future may be limited due to changes to the external environment in which the union is trying to organise.
Research limitations/implications
The research highlights the role of an under researched area of trade union membership. To provide additional insights, further research is needed into the practice of other unions.
Originality/value
This paper provides significant qualitative analysis into this issue which complements the existing quantitative research in this area.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper was presented at 24th Annual Meeting of Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 28th-30th June, 2012. The author would like to thank Matthew Brannan, Steve French, Helen Rainbird, the editor and the two anonymous referees for their helpful comments. The author acknowledges the financial contributions of Keele University and the PCS to this research.
Citation
Hodder, A. (2015), "Young and unionised in the UK? Insights from the public sector", Employee Relations, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 314-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-09-2013-0136
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited