TRADE UNIONS
THE GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH TRADE UNIONS, by Joseph Goldstein; Allen and Unwin. English price, 25/-. ‘THis book caused a flurry in the United Kingdom when it was published last year. It is easy to see why. It analyses one of the biggest trade unions in the world-the Transport and General ‘Workers’ Union of the United Kingdom, which* has over a million members-to find out to what extent members take part in union activities or in the formulation of policy, whether
they are he sgpican and whether the = | can give a sense of responsibility for the "development of of The answers are clear. They are summed up in the one word-apathy. Only a small minority attend branch meetings, elections are meaningless; paid officials are given policy-making ..functions by election; a minority using block votes can sway great issues; and the executive at every level is unrepresentative because of lack of interest by the rank and file. Among the reasons for this lack of interest in union affairs or nonattendance at meetings are-home ties dancing, the cinema, timidity (especially among women members) and a desire to. forget the factory and everything connected with it. The reader should not be put off by the un-English sociological jargon, the statistical discussions, and all the paraphernalia of a research project, or even the naivété of the author. For this book poses a central question: how can the democratic base of the trade unions be fortified to prevent the trade unions from becoming an arm of the state?
W.B.
S.
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 720, 1 May 1953, Page 10
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256TRADE UNIONS New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 720, 1 May 1953, Page 10
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