The Effects of Multi‐unionism: a Survey of Large Manufacturing Establishments
| Published date | 01 December 1997 |
| Author | John R. Dobson |
| Date | 01 December 1997 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8543.00068 |
British Journal of IndustrialRelations
35:4 December 1997 0007–1080 pp. 547–566
The Effects of Multi-unionism: a
Survey of Large Manufacturing
Establishments
John R. Dobson
Abstract
Multi-unionism is a distinctive feature of British industrial relations, which is
often criticized for reducing the effectiveness of trade unions and also for
reducing the efficiency of British business. It is commonly argued that multi-
unionism increases strikes, leads to inefficient working practices and com-
plicates the conduct of collective bargaining, although evidence to support
this is sparse. This article investigates the process by which multi-unionism
reduces business efficiency by a random sample survey of large manufactur-
ing establishments in the North-West of England. Semi-structured interviews
with the manager responsible for dealing with trade unions were held in those
establishments that were multi-union. It was found that the typical pattern of
multi-unionism is for each union to represent distinct groups of workers,
rather than competing to represent the same group of workers, and this
restricted union competition for members. Even in the minority of establish-
ments that did experience union competition for members, the nature of this
competition meant that multi-unionism did not reduce competitiveness. Nor
did multi-unionism prevent most employers from introducing efficient
working practices. The main implications of multi-unionism are for the
conduct of collective bargaining, but any view that this necessarily reduces a
firm’s efficiency is far too simplistic.
1. Introduction
The term ‘multi-unionism’ is used to describe the situation in which
workers are represented by more than one union for the purposes of
collective bargaining. Multi-unionism cannot be defined precisely, because
descriptions of union structure are dependent upon the structure of
collective bargaining. Employers might recognize a number of unions for
the purposes of industry-wide collective bargaining, but if each employer
John Dobson is in the Department of Business Studies, University of Salford.
¥ Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics 1997. Published by Blackwell Publishers Ltd,
108 Cowley Road,Oxford, OX4 1JF, and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
548 British Journal of Industrial Relations
or establishment recognized only one of these unions, then multi-unionism
would not exist under a system of company or plant barga ining.
Multi-unionism came about because individual unions evolved with no
central body taking responsibility for their evolution, and because no theory
of design played much part in their development. The resulting union
structure has been described as ‘bizarre and chaotic’ (Clegg 1979: 174); it is
still widely noted for its complexity and is considered a problem (Beaumont
1990: 47; Brown 1981: 59; Gospel and Palmer 1993: 137; Hughes 1967: 25;
Hyman 1975: ch. 2; Jackson 1991: 36; Salamon 1992: ch. 5). It has long been
argued that multi-unionism reduces the effectiveness of trade unions (Bell
1949; Hughes 1967; Webb and Webb 1897: ch. 4), but more recent
discussion has concentrated on the implications of multi-unionism for
business competitiveness, with a belief that multi-unionism restrains
productivity growth, while single unionism promotes flexibility and
efficiency (Gennard 1989; Metcalf 1988: 8; 1990: 290; 1993: 262; Metcalf et
al. 1993; Machin et al. 1993; Oliver and Wilkinson 1989; Reitsperger 1986).
The aim of this article is to investigate the proposition that multi-unioni sm
reduces business efficiency, by examining the process by which multi-
unionism might reduce efficiency. A random sample survey of large
manufacturing establishments examines the extent and nature of multi-
unionism, the extent to which unions are in competition for membership,
whether multi-unionism prevents employers from introducing efficient
working practices, and the implications of multi-unionism for the process of
collective bargaining.
2. How does multi-unionism reduce efficiency? The traditional view
Strikes
A number of different types of strike are associated with multi-unionism.
First, demarcation disputes occur when one union argues that its members
should carry out particular tasks and another union disputes this. This type
of strike tends to be associated with closed ‘craft’ unions (Turner 1962: 250).
Second, recognition strikes occur when one union clai ms to have the right to
represent a particular group of workers. These ‘jurisdictional’ disputes
about which union should have which members are a feature of ‘open’ tra de
unionism (Turner 1962: 250). Third, poaching disputes occur when a union
attempts to recruit workers who are already members of another union.
Fourth, there may be more strikes under multi-unionism because unions
demonstrate superiority by being more militant than their rivals in order to
attract and retain members (Royal Commission 1968: 179). This competi-
tive militancy can occur both under joint-union bargaining and when each
union bargains separately.
¥ Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics 1997.
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