Anna Pollert
Spheres of collectivism: Group action and perspectives on trade unions among the low-paid unorganized with problems at work
Pollert, Anna
Authors
Abstract
Drawing on a 2004 survey of 501 low-paid, non-unionized workers with problems at work, this paper explores the types of difficulties encountered and responses to these, including expressions of collectivism. It finds that not only did most workers take action to resolve their problems, but a quarter did so collectively. However, such spontaneous collectivism did not develop into effective mobilization of power. The paper also explores workers’ views on trade unions. While most workers were broadly pro-union, this was no more likely among those who attempted collective resolutions than it was among others. The relationship between collectivism in consciousness, and action and positive attitudes to union representation, remains as complex a problem among today’s unorganized workers as ethnographic studies demonstrated several decades ago. © 2010, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.
Citation
Pollert, A. (2010). Spheres of collectivism: Group action and perspectives on trade unions among the low-paid unorganized with problems at work. Capital and Class, 34(1), 115-125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309816809353496
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Jan 1, 2010 |
Journal | Capital & Class |
Print ISSN | 0309-8168 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 34 |
Issue | 1 |
Pages | 115-125 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1177/0309816809353496 |
Keywords | trade unions, employees, workplace |
Public URL | https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/987658 |
Publisher URL | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0309816809353496 |