A Decision-Making Approach to Trade Union Democracy

Abstract

The issue of trade union democracy has attracted popular and academic attention for many years in Britain and the U.S.A.. It has been seen to entail important implications for both the society at large and for trade union members in particular. In Britain, at the turn of the century, the Webbs were involved in a painstaking investigation into aspects of union government, and they have since been followed by a number of researchers including Allen, Roberts, and Edelstein and Warner. And in the U.S.A. considerable interest has been demonstrated in the relationship of union members and leaders at the local, national and international level, as observed in studies conducted by Barbash, Brooks, Cook, Sayles and Strauss, and Seidman, among others. But there has been a bare minimum of research along these lines in Australia, and it is hoped that 'work in progress' will begin the process of redressing this imbalance. Such work should be of especial value in Australia where so little has been documented on trade union operations.