Deunionisation and Union Establishment: the Impact of Workplace Change, HRM Strategies and Workplace Unionism

Abstract

Union organisation and activity is a critical influence upon the rate at which workplaces become deunionised. While some “HRM” or ‘trust’-based managerial strategies may have as an objective the removal of unionism, the impact such strategies have on unionism is a contingent one. If the union is active and well- represented, then management efforts to develop more inclusive work relationships will generally do little harm to unionisation. But if unions are not active, management trust strategies can lead to the circumvention of unions altogether. On the other hand, the increasing rate of workplace change appears to promote the unionisation of non-union workplaces and reduce the likelihood that workplaces with a union presence will deunionise, particularly in the context of declining satisfaction with management as a result of workplace change.