Problems Of Trade Union Democracy

The issue of trade union democracy has been the subject of considerable controversy in recent years. The government has pursued a policy designed in part to 'give unions back to their members' and the decline in the numbers of employees joining unions raises the question of whether trade unionism is losing its relevance. This book presents research papers which deal with these issues and reveals how the unions are adopting to legislative and other changes as they enter the 1990s.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1961.

First Published in 1950, Trade Unions in the New Society examines the changing significance of trade unionism and the place they occupy in the democratic world. Harold J. Laski contrasts their function in a capitalist or socialist society with what it became under Russian totalitarianism. This book explores the relation between trade unions and the public, trade unions and the law and trade unions and democracy to show the impact of developments such as mass production, social security and a planned economy on the position of the working man and considers the proper role of the government in disputes which may affect the basic public welfare. Most important of all, possibly, are Laski’s observations on the desirability of labour activity in organised politics. Trade Unions in the New Society will be of immense interest for scholars and researchers of politics, political economy, labour studies, and for all who are concerned with the future of democracy.

Study of trade union decision making in Sweden - discusses the theoretical and historical background, trade union structure, geographic distribution, affiliation with political partys, internal conflicts between leadership and membership, attitudes on wage policies, governance types, authority and problems of democracy within the movement, successes and failures, etc.; attempts to develop an interactive democratic model of collective participation. Graphs, illustrations, map and references.