Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gender Equality and Trade Unions: A New Basis for Mobilisation?

  • Chapter
Equality, Diversity and Disadvantage in Employment

Abstract

The promotion of employment equality by trade unions is especially important in the UK. Although legal regulation of the employment relationship has increased, the individualised, private law model characteristic of the UK means legal rights can often remain merely formal entitlements. In the absence of a general labour inspectorate for monitoring and enforcing legal protections, the UK system largely leaves employers and trade unions to translate statute and case law voluntarily through collective bargaining. The recent history of such equality bargaining, and the prospects for it, are the core themes of this chapter.

This chapter is informed by our previous investigations of trade unions and equality (for example, Colling and Dickens, 1989); research undertaken as part of a Europe-wide study of equal opportunities and collective bargaining (Colling, 1997; Dickens, 1998; Colling and Dickens, 1998); as well as by review of secondary materials.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ball, C. (1998) ‘Right to Union Recognition Fails to Give many Women a Voice at Work’, The Guardian, 30 May.

    Google Scholar 

  • Better Regulation Task Force (1999) Review of Anti-Discrimination Legislation ( London: Central Office of Information).

    Google Scholar 

  • Boston, S. (1987) Women Workers and Trade Unions ( London: Lawrence & Wishart).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, W. (1993) ‘The Contraction of Collective Bargaining in Britain,’ British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 31 (2): 189–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, B. (1993) ‘Women on the Verge of a Breakthrough’, New Statesman and Society, vol. 6 (3): 18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cockburn, C. (1987) Women, Trade Unions and Political Parties, Fabian Research series 349 ( London: Fabian Society ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Coiling, T. (1997) Collective Bargaining and Equal Opportunities in Europe: The Case of British Gas in the United Kingdom ( Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions).

    Google Scholar 

  • Coiling, T. (1999) ‘Reallocating Responsibility and Resources for Organising in UNISON’, IRRU seminar, University of Warwick, May.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coiling, T. and Dickens, L. (1989) Equality Bargaining — Why Not? Equal Opportunities Commission ( London: HMSO).

    Google Scholar 

  • Coiling, T. and Dickens, L. (1998) ‘Selling the Case for Gender Equality: Deregulation and Equality Bargaining in Britain’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 36 (3): 389–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cully, M. and Woodland, S. (1998) ‘Trade Union Membership and Recognition 1996–7: An Analysis of Data from the Certification Officer and the LFS’, Labour Market Trends, July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunnison, S. (1995) ‘Trade Unions and Women’s Ways of Organising: A Case from Northern Ireland’, Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 4 (3): 327–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day, K. (1998) ‘New Pay Scheme may Include Bonus Redesign’, Municipal Journal, 6 February.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, L. (1998) Equal Opportunities and Collective Bargaining in Europe: Illuminating the Process ( Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, L. and Bain, G. (1986) ‘A Duty to Bargain? Union Recognition and Information Disclosure’, in R. Lewis (ed.), Labour Law in Britain ( Oxford: Blackwell ), pp. 80–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, L. and Hall, M. (1995) ‘The State: Labour Law and Industrial Relations’, in P. K. Edwards (ed.), Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice in Great Britain ( Oxford: Blackwell ), pp. 255–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorgan, T. and Grieco, M. (1993) ‘Battling Against the Odds — the Emergence of Senior Women Trade Unionists’, Industrial Relations Journal, vol. 24 (3).

    Google Scholar 

  • EIRR (European Industrial Relations Review) (1997) ‘Social Policy under the Treaty of Amsterdam’, no. 283, August: 14–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, V. (1988) ‘Trade Unions and Occupational Segregation’, in S. Walby (ed.), Gender Segregation at Work ( Milton Keynes: Open University Press ), pp. 135–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission) (1998) Equality in the 21st Century: A New Approach ( Manchester: EOC).

    Google Scholar 

  • EOR (Equal Opportunities Review) (1993) ‘Government responds to EOC proposals for reforming SDA’, no. 52: 29–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • EOR (Equal Opportunities Review) (1998) ‘Childcare Green Paper Published’, no. 80, July/August.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (1999) European Employment Guidelines ( Luxembourg: EC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, K. and Secker, J. (1995) ‘Generating Equality? Equal Pay, Decentralisation, and the Electricity Supply Industry’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 33: 190–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gow, D. (1998) ‘Equal Pay Bill Could Hit £lbn: Health Service Warning for Government’, The Guardian, 11 March.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, D. and Peccei, R. (1998) The Partnership Company: Benchmarks for the Future ( London: Involvement and Participation Association).

    Google Scholar 

  • Heery, E. (1998a) ‘The Relaunch of the Trades Union Congress’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 36 (3): 339–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heery, E. (1998b) ‘Campaigning for Part-time Workers’, Work, Employment and Society, vol. 12 (2): 351–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howell, C. (1996) ‘Women as the Paradigmatic Trade Unionists? New Work, New Workers and New Trade Union Strategies in Conservative Britain’, Economic and Industrial Democracy, vol. 17 (4): 511–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J. and Heery, E. (1994) Working for the Union ( Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Labour Research Department (1992) ‘Challenging the Men in Suits’, Labour Research, March: 7–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Labour Research Department (1998) ‘Equal Pay Cases — a Rep’s Job?’, February: 21–2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Labour Research Department (1998b) ‘Are Women out of Proportion?’, March: 12–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Labour Research Department (1998c) ‘Organise, Activate and Motivate’, September: 13–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Labour Research Department (1999) ‘Climate Warms to Union Deals’, June: 19–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, E. (1994) Gender and Trade Unions ( London: Taylor & Francis).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ledwith, S. and Colgan, F. (1996) ‘Sisters Organising — Women and their Trade Unions’, in S. Ledwith and F. Colgan (eds), Women in Organisations: Challenging Gender Politics ( London: Macmillan ), pp. 152–86.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lovenduski, J. and Randall, V. (1993) Contemporary Feminist Politics; Women and Power in Britain ( Oxford: Oxford University Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Millward, N. (1995) Targetting Potential Discrimination, Equal Opportunities Commission Discussion Series, no. 11 ( Manchester: EOC ).

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Hara, J. (1996) Worker Participation and Collective Bargaining in Britain: The Influence of the European Agenda ( London: Institute of Employment Rights).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubery, J. (1992) ‘Pay, Gender and the Social Dimension to Europe’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 30: 605–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubery, J. and Maier, F. (1995) ‘Equal Opportunity for Women and Men and the Employment Policy of the EU: A Critical Review of the European Union’s Approach’, Transfer, vol. 1 (4): 521–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sly, F., Thair, T. and Risdon, A. (1998) ‘Women in the Labour Market: Results from the Spring 1997 Labour Force Survey’, Labour Market Trends, March: 97–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, B. (1999) ‘A Milestone in the Legal Regulation of Pay: The National Minimum Wage Act 1998’, Industrial Law Journal, vol. 28 (1): 1–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snape, E. (1994) ‘Reversing the Decline? The TGWU’s Link-Up Campaign’, Industrial Relations Journal, vol. 25 (3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Snell, M. (1979) ‘The Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination Acts: Their Impact in the Workplace’, Feminist Review, vol. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • South East Regional Trades Union Congress (SERTUC) (1997) Inching Towards Equality ( London: SERTUC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. (1998) ‘Cash-Strapped Unions Step Up Recruitment Drive’, Financial Times, 30 July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trades Union Congress (TUC) (1989) Organising for the 1990s: The SRB’s Second Report ( London: TUC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Trades Union Congress (TUC) (1998) Partners for Progress: Next Steps for New Unionism ( London: TUC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) (1995) Information Pack, National Women’s Conference, ( Manchester: USDAW).

    Google Scholar 

  • Waddington, J. and Whitson, C. (1995) ‘Trade Unions: Growth, Structure and Policy’, in P. K. Edwards (ed.), Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice in Great Britain ( Oxford: Blackwell ), pp. 151–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walby, S. (1997) Gender Transformations ( London: Routledge).

    Google Scholar 

  • Walby, S. (1986) Patriarchy at Work ( London: Polity Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, S. and Godard, J. (1999) ‘The Statutory Union Recognition Procedure in the Employment Relations Bill: A Comparative Analysis’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 37 (2): 203–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Trevor Colling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Linda Dickens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Leicester Business School, De Montfort University, UK

    Mike Noon (Professor of Human Resource Management) (Professor of Human Resource Management)

  2. Cardiff Business School, UK

    Emmanuel Ogbonna (Senior Lecturer, Director Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration) (Senior Lecturer, Director Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration)

Copyright information

© 2001 Trevor Colling and Linda Dickens

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Colling, T., Dickens, L. (2001). Gender Equality and Trade Unions: A New Basis for Mobilisation?. In: Noon, M., Ogbonna, E. (eds) Equality, Diversity and Disadvantage in Employment. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780333977880_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation