These briefing notes provide quick downloadable guides to key issues for the unions today.
On this page you will find:
- What are trade unions and how do Marxists understand them?
- Strikes: Why are they so important?
- What is collective bargaining?
- What is the Organising Model (and is it a good thing?)
- What is Austerity and what should trade unions do about it?
- What is the New Public Management (and why should we try to root it out?)
What are trade unions and how do Marxists understand them?
This short briefing note goes back to basics to look at what trade unions are and what they’re for. It also looks at what is distinctive about the Marxist understanding of unions.
Strikes: Why are they so important?
This briefing note looks at strikes as a weapon in the trade union’s armoury. What are strikes and what happens when they take place? How do they support collective bargaining? How do they contribute to class struggle and play a role in social change? How
should unions in Britain use them at a time when the strike weapon is under renewed attack?
What is collective bargaining?
This briefing note examines collective bargaining. Where did it come from? What function does it perform in capitalist societies? Is collective bargaining inherently conservative or can it play a role in class struggle? Is collective bargaining in Britain dead and if not, how do we rebuild it?
What is the Organising Model (and is it a good thing?)
This briefing note looks at the Organising Model. What is the Organising Model and why is it important? Is it new and is it a good thing? What should unions’ response to the organising agenda be?
What is Austerity and what should trade unions do about it?
This briefing note examines ‘Austerity’ and what is being done in its name. It also argues that in the name of austerity, a distinct set of economic interests are tightening their grip over Britain’s society and economy and sets out some objectives for trade unions in response.
What is the New Public Management (and why should we try to root it out?)
This briefing from Professor Roger Seifert examines the New Public Management, the neoliberal theory underpinning workforce reform in the public sector and why it is so dangerous.
Trade Union Futures 
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