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Back to grass roots: Peak union councils and community campaigning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Alison Barnes  and
Nikola Balnave
Alison Barnes
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Nikola Balnave*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
*
Nikola Balnave, Department of Marketing and Management, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Peak union bodies in Australia have a long and influential history, and most recently have developed an approach to union revitalisation based on community-based campaigning strategies. In responding to labour market changes, declining union membership and hostile governments and employers, peak union bodies have developed new ways to strengthen the collective ability of their affiliated unions to successfully represent members at the workplace level. They have embraced local-level strategies that tap into community concerns and are aimed at capacity building across the labour movement. The resulting grass-roots organisations have the potential to shape both the workplace and the public domain. We explore one example of this approach: the establishment of Local Union Community Councils by Unions NSW. We argue that although peak bodies are well placed to spearhead community campaigning, the grass-roots councils being created will need to progress through several stages of development, if they are to become self-sustaining organisations, contributing effectively over the long term to community mobilisation and stronger, more coordinated union campaigns.

Keywords

J51J53Community organisinggrass rootslabour organisationpeak union councilstrade union campaignsunion revitalisationworker mobilisation
Type
Articles
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 26 , Issue 4: Special Collection: Union Organising and Revitalisation , December 2015 , pp. 577 - 595
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015

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References

Interviews

Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Lennon, 18 November 2013Google Scholar
Unions NSW Officer A, 18 November 2013Google Scholar
Unions NSW Officer B, 18 November 2013Google Scholar
Unions NSW Officer C, 10 April 2014Google Scholar
Unions NSW Officer D, 10 April 2014Google Scholar
Unions NSW Officer E, 10 April 2014Google Scholar
ACTU Officer, 18 December 2013Google Scholar
ACTU Secondment, 18 December 2013Google Scholar
Other state peak union Officer, 16 May 2014Google Scholar
Seconded Union Communication Officer, 31 March 2015Google Scholar
Seconded Union Media Officer, 18 November 2013Google Scholar
LUCC Member A, 8 May 2014Google Scholar
LUCC Member B, 29 May 2014Google Scholar
LUCC Member C, 8 May 2014Google Scholar
LUCC Member D, 15 May 2014Google Scholar
Former LUCC Member, 29 March 2015Google Scholar

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