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University of Warwick Institutional Repository University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/35765 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. ThE DYNAMICS OF SW)P S1EWARD ORGANISATION, ALTIvIT( AND cONSCIUSNS The Experience of Three Merseyside Manufacturing Plants Between The Late 1960s And Early 1990s. Ralph Darlington. PhD Thesis. August 1991. School of Industrial and Business Studies/Department of Sociology. University of Warwick. SHOP STE G!WA RD.S (,f MAAGERI( L( fL'D io ,ffer YoU NOgM- I'M YouR ,RIE,1r'I.y *7p 51E&'JP4D - AMO&D.. (((i. 11 I4Y 1vftJcT1ON i iv' To ,qNA&EME&1 -ri PoINT 0CM OF VtE't/ oF HE M6IJ. L4JHICtI sAID PgecEo g6 is 5EcT EFFECT6D Uc,,J-, 7J4DIrwN4L ( c,zLEcr sue 14g&1q,IIiV& 6 I ,'ou 1CItNI61uE^,.. , YOU WILL- g&. IM' 'ornw ip4 \ ABAC Enpirical case study analysis of shop steward organisation within three specific manufacturing plants in Merseyside has been conducted with the aim of contributing to an understanding of the dynamics of steward organisation, activity and consciousness within British manufacturing industry more generally. This involves not merely a snap-shot of contemporary developments but an historical overview of the past 20 years that will be of relevance to an understanding of potential future trends. Methods of data collection include extensive interviews - with shop stewards, union members, managers and full-time union officials - analysis of documentary evidence and personal observation. The research is informed by a Marxist analytical framework, namely that there is a contradiction in the nature of workplace trade unionism - between conflict and acconinodation in stewards' relationship to management, between democracy and bureaucracy in stewards' relationship to rank and file members and between independence and dependence in stewards' relationship to full-time union officials. Because the balance struck between these interrelated and overlapping tendencies varies, depending on the level of workers' confidence, activity and militancy vis-a-vis management, an evaluation is made of the different 'micro-level' factors which affect the balance of bargaining power in each workplace and of the way these are located within the much broader 'macro- level' social, economic and political context of the changing balance of class forces in society, with a contrast being drawn between the broad upturn in workers' struggles during the 1970s and the downturn of the 1980g . A central concern is a critique of Eric Batstone's 'strong bargaining relations' model of pragmatic shop steward organisation, which, as the case studies illustrate, merely serves to reinforce the limitations and compromises of workplace trade unionism within capitalist society. The distinctive potential role of revolutionary socialist organisatlon and leadership is posed as a vital missing element. ADG This thesis could not have been written without the influence and support of a variety of people. My initial enthusiasm for the project was kindled many years ago when as an active trade unionist I first read Huw Beynon's 'Working For Ford', a penetrating account of shopfloor workers' struggles and of the limitations and potential of factory based shop steward organisation. Richard Hyman has provided extremely insightful Marxist theoretical analysis of workplace trade unionism which I have unashamedly adopted for my own research purposes, albeit 'biting the hand that feeds me' by attempting to develop a critical assessment of his later work. I am extremely grateful to both Hyman and Tony Elger, my PhD co- supervisors, for reading and re-reading drafts of the manuscript over the three years it took to complete, consistently offering helpful coments on the content and forcing me to defend, alter and elaborate my views on the subject. Pat Egan was also of great help, allowing me to stay overnight in his flat in Coventry on numerous occasions and regularly taking the trouble to discuss various themes and arguments with me late into the night. Of course, I would like to particularly thank all the interviewees from the three factories who shared their experiences and understanding of events with me, helping the thesis to 'come alive'. Needless to say any errors of fact or of interpretation are mine. I owe a general debt to my comrades in the Socialist Workers Party whose political understanding and practical coimtitment kept me going. The thesis is dedicated to assisting the struggles of workers against management everywhere and hopefully it will make some contribution towards the building of a revolutionary socialist party inside the British labour movement. Finally, I owe a very special debt of gratitude to my partner and companion, Carole Donovan, for allowing me to read out loud to her virtually the entire draft and offering her comments, putting up with my enforced isolation crouched over a word processor for so long whilst I actually got the thesis written, and generally providing me with a tremendous amount of emotional and loving support. 0NTFNS INTROFION 1 CHAFFER ONE: THE DYNAIICS OF SHOP STEMARD ORGANISATION, AUTIV ITT AND CONSCI(1XJNESS 6 INTRODUCTION 6 CRITIQUE OF ERIC BATSTONE 6 ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK 20 * stewards' relationship to management * stewards' relationship to rank and file members * stewards' relationship to union officials BALANCE OF FORCES 34 BACKGROUND HYPOTHESIS 38 THE RESEARCH 42 STRUCTURE OF THESIS 49 CHAFfER Ta): BIRDS EYE 51 Interviewees Chronology of Major Events Shop Stewards' Leadership: The 1970s and 1980s Local Full-Time Union Officials: The 1970s and 1980s INTRODUCTION 51 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: TI{E 1970s 58 * the early 1970s: the stewards' strengths and weaknesses * 1977-79: offensive and counter-offensive STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: THE 198Os 80 * the early 1980s: 'don't rock the boat'. * 1985-9 the downward slope STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO RANK AND FILE MEMBERS: THE 197Os 103 * the 1970s: forging the links * the 1980s: loosening of links STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO UNION OFFICIALS: THE 1970s And 198Os 128 * the 1970s: relative independence * the 1980s: relative dependence References ffAVER THREE: BFfR0SE 142 Interviewees Chronology of Major Events INTRODUCTION 142 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: the 1970s 150 * the 1970s: the stewards' strengths * the 1970s: the stewards' weaknesses STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: THE l98Os 173 * the early 1980s: product market crisis * 1987-91: redundancies and closure STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO RANK AND FILE MEMBERS: THE 1970s And 1980s 194 * the 1970s: benevolent control from above * the 1980s: flawed political leadership STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO UNION OFFICIALS: THE 1970s AND 1980s 219 * the 197Os: a gulf between chapel and officials * the 1980s: the officials move in References CHAF FCRJR: FORD 237 Interviewees Chronology of Major Events Plant Convenors INTRODUCTION 237 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: THE 1970s 244 * the 1970s: the stewards' strengths * the 1970s: the stewards' weaknesses STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT: THE l98Os 270 * the l98Os: the years of co-operation * the l98Os/l99Os: potential and limitations STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO RANK AND FILE MEMBERS: THE 1970s AND l98Os 297 * the l97Os: activity and accountability * the 1980s: passivity and bureaucracy STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO UNION OFFICIALS: THE 1970s AND l98Os 323 * the l960s/1970s: establishing lay representation * the 1980s: transmission belt of influence References CITAFER FIVE: SC*(E COM1USIONS AND LFSSONS 342 INTRODUCTION 342 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO MANAGEMENT 344 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO RANK AND FILE MEMBERS 354 STEWARDS' RELATIONSHIP TO UNION OFFICIALS 369 REASSESSMENT OF RESEARCH 376 REBUILDING STRONG STEWARDS' ORGANISATION 386 Bibliography m'normrii Introduction nmornri During the 1980s a consensus developed among many comentators that the powerful shop steward organisation built up in some key sectors of British manufacturing industry during the 1960s and 1970s had been considerably weakened. The hostile economic and political climate of Conservative rule had sapped shopfloor militancy, eroded stewards' power and brought dramatic changes in working practices. Some argued that although shop stewards continued to operate using formal bargaining procedures they had become increasingly marginal to managerial concerns in many companies (Chadwick, 1983). Yet not everybody agreed on the nature or depth of the weakness of shop steward power. A number of contributors, notably Eric Batstone, maintained that whilst it would be mistaken to believe stewards had not experienced some reduction in their power and influence the extent of the decline was often widely exaggerated (1986b). Both in terms of the formal institutional aspects of workplace trade unionism and in terms of substantive measures of the power of shop stewards what was striking was the stability of workplace industrial relations rather than its transformation during the 1980s. Stewards continued to do much the same job as before, 'nothing much had changed'. Of course, there were differences in approach and emphasis both between each of these two camps and within them, notably over the most appropriate research method (surveys and/or case studies) and
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