Ballots and Union Government in the 1980s

Smith, P; Fosh, P; Martin, R; Morris, H; Undy, R

Abstract

During the 1980s the Conservative government argued that trade unions' leaders and policies did not accurately reflect the views of their members. Accordingly, the Trade Union Act 1984 required that all voting members of union principal executive committees be periodically elected by individual members in a workplace or postal ballot, and the Employment Act 1988 required that all executive committee members and all officers in attendance for the purpose of policy deliberation and formulation be periodically elected by members in a postal ballot. This legislation has left an indelible mark upon the processes of union government but it has failed to initiate a transformation in the political complexion of union leadership or a redirection of union policy.

Citation

Smith, P., Fosh, P., Martin, R., Morris, H., & Undy, R. (1993). Ballots and Union Government in the 1980s. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 31(3), 365. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1993.tb00403.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 1993
• Deposit Date: Sep 3, 2010
• Journal: British Journal of Industrial Relations
• Print ISSN: 0007-1080
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 365
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1993.tb00403.x
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.1993.tb00403.x