Originally published in 1986, the 1970s and 80s saw the emergence of the ‘the new working class’ or ‘new middle class’. This book is an authoritative study of the ‘white collar workers’ relationship with their unions and analysis of their newly designated class. The authors drew extensively on original fieldwork and verbatim accounts from technical workers and foremen in industry. White Collar Workers examines the particular circumstances of different groups of workers and their functions in relation to capital and labour. It analyses changes in the composition of union membership and the effect of these changes on the structure and policy of unions.
Author(s): Peter Armstrong, Bob Carter, Chris Smith, Theo Nichols
Series: Routledge Library Editions: Trade Unions, 1
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 224
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Original Title Page
Original Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part One: Class Relations at Work
1. Class and Control at the Point of Production – Foremen 1
The Necessary Evil
The Surveillance of Supervision
Surveillance by Personal Invigilation
Competition for the Supervisors
The Bureaucratic Mode of Surveillance
Relationships with the Workforce
Conclusions
2. Class and Control at the Point of Production – Foremen 2
Class Theories
Browns' The Company and the Factory
The Recruitment of Foremen
The Role of the Foreman
The Foremen and Trade Unionism
Conclusion
3. Class Relations, Diversity and Location – Technical Workers
Introduction
The Genesis of British Technical Occupations
Homogeneity and Heterogeneity within Technical Work and its Significance
The Work and Social Relation of Some Technical Occupations
Marginal Technical Jobs
Established Technical Occupations
Threats to the Craft Tradition
Conclusion
Part Two: The Politics of White Collar Trade Unionism
4. Work Supervisors and Trade Unionism
Introduction
Factors Behind White Collar Unionisation and the 'Character' of White Collar Unions
Supervisors' Demands on White Collar Unions – Survey Data
Sample and Methods
Results and Discussion
Employment Conditions
Control Issues
Education, Training and Advice
Conclusions from the Survey
5. Trade Unionism and the New Middle Class – The Case of ASTMS
ASTMS
Strategy and Growth
The Appeal of the ASTMS
The Structure of the Union
Differentials
Incomes Policies
Recognition
ASTMS and the Labour Party
Conclusion
6. Engineers, Trade Unionism and Tass
TASS and Engineers: The Context
TASS, Engineers and Recruitment Strategies
Militancy and Autonomy as Modes of Recruitment
Recruitment Through Militancy: C. A. Parsons
Recruitment Through Autonomy: British Aerospace
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
