Activism Amongst Workplace Union Delegates

Abstract

Developing activism amongst workplace delegates is at the heart of the shift to an 'organising' approach and to union renewal in Australia. We undertook two surveys, of 825 and 102 workplace delegates in the Finance Sector Union, and found that training is particularly important by comparison with experience in explaining delegate activism. Building confidence is critical - more so than building self-perceived skills. Women delegates are less confident than men, but on most measures any lower activism by women is due to lower training and their workplace location. Successful recruitment depends not just on developing the confidence to ask new employees to join, it depends on developing confidence and skills in undertaking a broad range of 'organising' behaviours. Managerial hostility increases activism, and contact between organisers and delegates is important to maintaining activism and developing commitment.