Publisher's Synopsis
The trade union movement in twentieth-century Britain has been a cornerstone for societyÆs marginalized members û women, disabled people, lesbians and gay men and people from black and ethnic minority communities. As these groups of workers self-organized to reform their unions, they built a bridge between the ôôôôoldö social movement based around class position and labour identity and the ôôôônewö social movements based around civil rights and status stratifications. - - This book presents a detailed look at self-organization within public sector unions through the emergence of four self-organized groups within NALGO and later, UNISON. Drawing upon unique insider knowledge of the alliances and antipathies between the self-organized groups and the host union, the book also provides fascinating revelations of the tensions between self-organized groups themselves. This study will be essential reading for students of political sociology and industrial relations.
