Gill Kirton

The Dynamics of Managing Diversity: A Critical Approach

Context and concepts - Mapping the equality and diversity territory The social and economic landscape Theorizing labour market segmentation and identity issues Diversity, equality and discrimination in organizations Theorizing equality and diversity approaches Policy and practice - Legislative framework Trade unions as agents of change Organizational policy and practice Human resource management and the equality project State policy, social provision and attitudes: comparison with and between member states of the European union.

Women, Power and Trade Union Government in the UK

This paper addresses the under-explored relationship between womens structures and union democracy and argues that womens structural progress is mediated by an enduring gendered oligarchy and an associated struggle to access power resources. It provides, first, an analysis over time of womens structures in UK unions, and second, a case-study analysis of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance (MSF) trade union. The analysis over time demonstrates womens progress in achieving positional power, but conceals the complexity of the way different resources are used to constrain and enable women trade unionists. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd/London School of Economics 2000.

Transforming union women: the role of women trade union officials in union renewal

This paper draws on a qualitative case study of senior union women in the trade union Manufacturing, Science &Finance (MSF) to provide insights into the way women officials use their agency to recruit women members and to encourage their activism. The focus on senior trade union women is important since these women are potentially in a more powerful position to have an impact on patriarchal union culture.

The discourse of diversity in unionised contexts: views from trade union equality officers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the little researched question of how trade unions have interpreted and engaged with the discourse of diversity adopted by many organisations to replace the traditional “equal opportunities” discourse.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on interviews with national trade union equality officers, the paper presents a discourse‐based analysis, exploring what the shift towards a diversity discourse means for trade unions.Findings – The paper identifies three main features of the diversity discourse, which cause concern from the trade union perspective: its business‐driven nature, its focus on the individual and its positioning as a top‐down managerial activity. The main concern expressed was that the upbeat rhetoric of the diversity discourse diverts attention from the realities of discrimination and disadvantage. However, the discussion concludes that unions believe it is possible to work critically with diversity in order to pursue equality objectives.Orig...

The dynamics of positive action in UK trade unions: the case of women and black members

This paper considers positive action strategies amongst UK trade unions, aimed at increasing membership and levels of participation and representation among women and black workers. It provides an overview of women’s, black members’ and race structures within large Trades Union Congress unions and a detailed case study of one large UK trade union. We find that there are salient differences in the way that unions approach issues of gender equality, compared with the approach adopted towards race equality. The paper explores possible explanations, justifications and implications of these differences.

British diversity professionals as change agents – radicals, tempered radicals or liberal reformers?

This paper explores the role of diversity professionals involved in the development and implementation of organizational equality and diversity policy. The paper draws on in-depth qualitative research with diversity professionals in a broad range of British organizations in the private and public sectors. The analysis unravels who diversity professionals are, how they understand the concepts of equality and diversity and how they develop strategies of change in order to pursue their objectives. The conceptions of ‘liberal’ and ‘radical’ equal opportunities actors (Jewson, N. and D. Mason, 1986, ‘The Theory and Practice of Equal Opportunities Policies: Liberal and Radical Approaches’. Sociological Review 34(2): 307–34) and ‘tempered radicals’ (Meyerson, D. and M. Scully, 1995, ‘Tempered Radicalism and the Politics of Ambivalence and Change.’ Organization Science 6(6): 585–600) are used as frameworks for this analysis.

Trade Union Perspectives on Diversity Management: A Comparison of the UK and Denmark

This article compares the viewpoints of trade union activists in the UK and Denmark on diversity management. While this concept is spreading rapidly across Europe, very different attitudes are revealed among equality activists and officials in the two countries. The article distinguishes between understandings of diversity management as a descriptor, theoretical approach, and policy approach. The main differences between the countries emerge with regard to diversity management as a policy approach, which is regarded with great scepticism in the UK and with great enthusiasm in Denmark. Explanations for these differences are offered, involving prior experiences of anti-discrimination activities, industrial relations approaches, and the wider political context.

Possibilities for remote participation in trade unions: mobilising women activists

This paper argues that trade union activism within the new era of information and communication technologies (ICTs) offers the potential for unions to become more inclusive of under-represented groups. Traditional conceptions of activism, participation and democracy within trade unions require physical presence at meetings at times and in spaces incompatible with caring responsibilities and atypical hours of work. This restricts the participation of women and other ‘atypical’ workers in trade unions. The paper explores the complexities of electronic forms of union activism in practice, indicating that while some positive features are experienced, there are also a range of obstacles, barriers and possible negative consequences.

Advancing Gender Equality: The Role of Women‐Only Trade Union Education

The need to improve the level of membership and the number of women activists has been a central feature of overall ‘renewal’ strategies of many British trade unions. Within this, equality education has been a key part of policy-making. This research draws on detailed case studies of two trade unions and focuses on their women-only education courses. We suggest that a greater understanding of the contribution of different types of trade union education to the advance of equality is a key factor in the ability of unions to maintain a central role at workplace level, within the context of an increasingly diverse labour market.

The making of women trade unionists

Contents: Preface Theoretical background Women and trade unions: an overview Womens trade unionism in historical context Educating women trade unionists Starting a trade union career The shaping of womens trade union careers The making of womens trade union careers Making sense of womens trade union careers Appendix: research methods Bibliography Index.