The Participatory Dimension of Trade Union Democracy: A Comparative Sociological View
In: Sociology: the journal of the British Sociological Association, Band 11, Heft 3, S. 465-480
ISSN: 1469-8684
Political scientists and sociologists trying to understand union politics have concentrated on formal constitutional provisions, elections, officer turnover, and the existence of structured groups within the unions as indicators of trade union democracy. A consequence of this approach has been the emergence of theories which have little wider applicability beyond the empirical situation to which they are tailored. While most scholars have assumed that membership participation is essential to democratic union organization, they have failed to develop a theory based explicitly on this. This paper, drawing from material on trade unions in South India, suggests that a theory of trade union democracy based on membership participation in union affairs offers promise of a comparative approach.