Communications in Trade Unions

Abstract

The structure of employee organisations in Britain and the labyrinthine character of our industrial relations system presents to trade unions a communication problem of extreme complexity. Multi‐level union representation, often extending over many industries has, over the past two decades in particular, stretched to the limit traditional branch, district and national organisation. Without the phenomenal growth in numbers of unpaid shop stewards, representatives who frequently act with a sense of independence which may astonish observers from other countries, it would hardly have been possible to service the expanding membership and negotiating activity of that period. This development has brought its own elaborations of problems of communication between paid officials and the rank and file and laid increasing emphasis on those of multi‐unionism, at one time reasonably handleable at national level, but now extended into the more difficult area of the work place.

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