Unions in a Contrary World

This book explains the decline in trade union participation, looking at both macro and micro levels.

This book explains the dramatic fall in trade union participation in Australia over the past thirty years. It considers both macro and micro levels, looking at the economy and the labour market, people's ideological dispositions towards unionism, the role of the state, and unions' political and industrial strategies.Australia once had extremely high levels of trade union participation, yet since the 1970s the number of union members has been falling dramatically. This book gives the clearest picture yet of why people do or do not belong to unions and, in a sophisticated way, examines the reasons for union decline. Uniquely, it considers both the macro and micro levels, looking at the structure of the economy and the labour market, the relations between unions and employees, the ideological dispositions people have towards unionism, the role of the state and the political and industrial strategies of unions. The author highlights the importance of structural and strategic changes in determining the direction of union membership. This book makes a major contribution to our understanding of union decline, and its implications, and presents a range of strategies for reversing this downturn.