Suchergebnisse

Case studies of three long-standing Canadian worker co-operatives suggests that task specialization and the creation of a division of labour is a natural feature of the maturation process, and that it need not impair or weaken organizational democracy. The specific impact of a division of labour on democratic processes, however, is found to be moderated by the particular form it takes, and on the co-operative's readiness to confront the problems of co-ordination, administration and integration that arise. A functional division of labour tends to promote interdependence and foster a more collaborative approach to decision-making than a divisional design, and may have some particular advantages for worker co-operatives, but both approaches require ongoing attention to social and structural mechanisms that will sustain an integrated whole.

In recent years, the Canadian labour movement has undergone fundamental change in response to demands for greater inclusion and representation by women, visible and sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. Equity, Diversity, and Canadian Labour explores the specific challenges put to outmoded attitudes and practices, charting the efforts made by organized labour in Canada towards addressing discrimination in the workplace and within unions themselves. While there has been a fair amount of progress in this regard, persistent impediments to equity and uneven responsiveness within and across diversity issues remain. This collection of original essays brings together contributors from a variety of academic backgrounds - women's studies, political science, sociology, industrial relations - and from the labour movement itself to examine union policies, practices, and cultures with respect to diversity issues. The first comprehensive analysis of Canadian labour's response to challenges on gender, race, disability, and sexual orientation issues since the 1980s, the book aims to highlight the structural and cultural developments that have taken place within the labour movement around equality rights, and to provide a forum for debates about the extent to which union democracy has been reshaped as a result of equity activism.