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Union modernisation, coalitions and vulnerable work in the construction sector in Britain

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  • Stephen Mustchin

Abstract

This article analyses vulnerable work in the construction sector, the impact of the recession and union responses to these problems including the development of coalitions with civil society and state organisations, and provision of new services to members and other workers faced with heightened vulnerability at work. The case study is based on qualitative interviews and internal documentation, and focuses on the construction union, Union of Construction, Allied Technicians and Trades, and its work supported by the government-backed Union Modernisation Fund. The findings demonstrate some innovative approaches to supporting workers facing vulnerability in terms of job insecurity, health and safety and other problems, including drawing on support from other organisations with specific expertise and resources. Problems in terms of the political contingency of these links, vulnerability in terms of changing funding regimes and priorities within state agencies, and the vast scale of the problem of vulnerability at work are also highly prominent.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen Mustchin, 2014. "Union modernisation, coalitions and vulnerable work in the construction sector in Britain," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 121-136, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:45:y:2014:i:2:p:121-136
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/irj.12047
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Graham Winch, 1998. "The growth of self-employment in British construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(5), pages 531-542.
    2. Anna Pollert & Andy Charlwood, 2009. "The vulnerable worker in Britain and problems at work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(2), pages 343-362, June.
    3. Edmund Heery & Brian Abbott & Stephen Williams, 2012. "The Involvement of Civil Society Organizations in British Industrial Relations: Extent, Origins and Significance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(1), pages 47-72, March.
    4. Brown, W., 2011. "Industrial Relations in Britain under New Labour, 1997-2010: a post mortem," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1121, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nihan Yıldırım & Derya Gultekin & Doğan Tilkici & Dilek Ay, 2022. "An Institutional System Proposal for Advanced Occupational Safety and Labor Standards in the Turkish Construction Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-31, November.
    2. Stephen Mustchin & Miguel Martínez Lucio, 2023. "The fragmenting occupation of labour inspection and the degradation of regulatory and enforcement work inside the British state," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(2), pages 526-546, May.

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