Shop Steward Resistance in the Recession

In spite of the recession and its attendant threats to workforce size and union power, a well‐organised union can still influence management and company plans. Though management still have a range of policy options, the point of trade union resistance is to force management into accepting options more favourable to workforce interests. A case study outlining a type of factory‐based union organisation which has survived the recession through successfully contesting managerial decisions, draws the conclusion that the central element of such activity's success is that it must be moulded to a broader, less insular, more political view of trade union activity. The evidence supports the argument that steward organisations have largely maintained their position of the 1970s. Union membership and support remains a crucial issue in maintaining union power, and shop stewards must continue to re‐examine ways of involving and informing their members.