Conference on Organized labour
Responses to the Conference Paper
Chris Brewster
Cranfield University, UK
28 September 1998
I am writing as a member of the Centre for Strategic Trade Union Management at Cranfield University in the UK. We are part of one of the leading management schools in Europe and our mission is to bring to the trade union movement the same top level management skills and strategies that we provide to other organizations. This is a narrow but particularly significant aspect of the wider questions you posed.
Trade unions are multi-million dollar, multi-site, complex organizations.
In many countries now they are facing declining memberships, declining incomes, ageing memberships, more sophisticated managerial antagonism and unhelpful governments. Decentralised collective bargaining, smaller workplaces, ever-increasing non-standard forms of work and new technology, mean that the unions are facing increasing pressure on their resources just as the demands for their services become increasingly difficult to respond to.
As times become tougher for the union movement the importance of effective management of the organization becomes ever more apparent. Trade union members have the right to expect that their organizations are run as efficiently and effectively as possible using the latest techniques of strategic finance, marketing, information and communication technology and human resource management. And yet most people at the top of trade unions are there for a variety of reasons which rarely have much to do with their abilities or belief in the importance of managing difficult and complex organizations.
The good news is that some trade unions are, despite the stereotypes, taking active steps to respond to their difficulties by addressing these issues related to the management of their organizations.
Over the past five years we have worked closely with the British Trades
Union Congress in its major reforms, with the management teams of more than
half of the British unions, with leading trade unions in Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and with a growing number of the unions in Central Europe. Most of this work has been with top management teams of the unions but in a number of cases we have also worked with lay executive members.
The work has involved bringing in top level experts in subjects like corporate strategy, marketing and corporate finance to examine the union's problems and work with the top team to develop a strategic response. This has developed into work related to options for, and help with the implementation of, merger strategies; helping unions to develop relevant international links; support with structural changes within the union; surveys of current and potential members; and self-development and career planning for senior union officers.
We have also worked with a number of unions across Europe on the implementation of European Works Councils (and are currently involved with an EU sponsored project examining the practical effects of EWCs in corporate restructuring exercises). More recently we have been working with trade unions and employers in the UK on the implementation of "partnership agreements".
Ours is a particular, "niche", approach to helping the unions. Nevertheless
it is one which the union leaders themselves find particularly relevant and positive. We have considerable amounts of information, articles etc available if more detail is needed and are happy to talk to trade unionists or those supporting the trade union mevement about our work. I welcome your initiative and look forward to hearing from you.
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