White Collar Workers: Trade Unions and Class

Description

Originally published in 1986, the 1970s and 80s saw the emergence of the ‘the new working class’ or ‘new middle class’. This book is an authoritative study of the ‘white collar workers’ relationship with their unions and analysis of their newly designated class. The authors drew extensively on original fieldwork and verbatim accounts from technical workers and foremen in industry. White Collar Workers examines the particular circumstances of different groups of workers and their functions in relation to capital and labour. It analyses changes in the composition of union membership and the effect of these changes on the structure and policy of unions. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Original Title Page Original Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Part One: Class Relations at Work 1. Class and Control at the Point of Production – Foremen 1 The Necessary Evil The Surveillance of Supervision Surveillance by Personal Invigilation Competition for the Supervisors The Bureaucratic Mode of Surveillance Relationships with the Workforce Conclusions 2. Class and Control at the Point of Production – Foremen 2 Class Theories Browns' The Company and the Factory The Recruitment of Foremen The Role of the Foreman The Foremen and Trade Unionism Conclusion 3. Class Relations, Diversity and Location – Technical Workers Introduction The Genesis of British Technical Occupations Homogeneity and Heterogeneity within Technical Work and its Significance The Work and Social Relation of Some Technical Occupations Marginal Technical Jobs Established Technical Occupations Threats to the Craft Tradition Conclusion Part Two: The Politics of White Collar Trade Unionism 4. Work Supervisors and Trade Unionism Introduction Factors Behind White Collar Unionisation and the 'Character' of White Collar Unions Supervisors' Demands on White Collar Unions – Survey Data Sample and Methods Results and Discussion Employment Conditions Control Issues Education, Training and Advice Conclusions from the Survey 5. Trade Unionism and the New Middle Class – The Case of ASTMS ASTMS Strategy and Growth The Appeal of the ASTMS The Structure of the Union Differentials Incomes Policies Recognition ASTMS and the Labour Party Conclusion 6. Engineers, Trade Unionism and Tass TASS and Engineers: The Context TASS, Engineers and Recruitment Strategies Militancy and Autonomy as Modes of Recruitment Recruitment Through Militancy: C. A. Parsons Recruitment Through Autonomy: British Aerospace Conclusion Bibliography Index