Professor Gregor Gall comments on the significance of industrial action in 2022
Visiting professor of industrial relations, Gregor Gall asks if we are about to see a revival in the fortunes (and membership numbers) of trade unions.
Writing for The National, Professor Gall asserts that for strikes to have a positive impact on building membership and influence, certain things are required to happen, such as:
- Various thresholds have to be surpassed
- Dealing with potential legal challenges from employers, questioning whether ballots were carried out in accordance with the legal regulations
- Mandates must be implemented
- And most importantly, to make a significant positive impact, strikes must win their demands.
Professor Gall suggests that the idea of a union default is key to boosting union membership numbers and increasing the bargaining power of such organisations.
Professor Gall comments:
We could then see unions getting above inflation level deals, stop the race to the bottom and stop non-unionised workers’ pay and conditions pulling down those of unionised workers so the opposite could happen – unionised workers would pull up non-unionised workers. Otherwise, unions will be forever scrapping around for crumbs off the bosses’ table, more akin to collective begging than collective bargaining.
