When trade unions turn to litigation ‘getting all the ducks in a row’ Cécile Guillaume.pdf

该【When trade unions turn to litigation ‘getting all the ducks in a row’ Cécile Guillaume 】是由【小舍儿】上传分享，文档一共【15】页，该文档可以免费在线阅读，需要了解更多关于【When trade unions turn to litigation ‘getting all the ducks in a row’ Cécile Guillaume 】的内容，可以使用淘豆网的站内搜索功能，选择自己适合的文档，以下文字是截取该文章内的部分文字，如需要获得完整电子版，请下载此文档到您的设备，方便您编辑和打印。:..IndustrialRelationsJournal??:??,??–??ISSN0019-8692Whentradeunionsturntolitigation:‘gettingalltheducksinarow’CécileGuillaumeABSTRACTDrivenbytheirmembers’bativelegalstrategiesinordertoopposethedeteriorationofworkingandemploymentcondi-tions,Britishtradeunionshavedevelopedin-’?uenceoflegalrationalityontheframingofunionstrategiesandshowsthat,undercertainconditions,tradeunionsareabletobuildmulti-?cantlyintheUKoverthelastdecadepartlydrivenbypolicymakingattheEuropeanlevel(Hyman,2010).Thenumberofemploymenttribunalclaimsincreasedfromaround100,000casesperyearin1995–96to236,103in2009–-professional‘legalintermediaries’(Pélisse,2007;Talesh,2015),’demandsandtheneedtoadoptbativelegalstrategiesinordertoopposethedeteriorationofworkingandemploymentconditions,tradeunionshaveactedassupportstructures(Epp,2008)erepeatedplayers(Galanter,1974)?tfromafavourablelegalopportunitystructure(Hilson,2002;Vanhala,2012).mission’sessible,speedy,informalandinexpensiveemploymenttribunalservice(Colling,2004),essivereforms(Dickens,2014)esstojusticecostly,legalisticandselective(Colling,2004;McDermont,KirvanandSales,2016).Academics(Colling,2010;Pollert,2007)andlegalpractitioners(Renton,2012)havearguedthattheincreasedlegalismofemploymentrelations(Heery,2011),industrialactionandpoliticalin?,disputeresolution?CécileGuillaume,SeniorLecturerinEmploymentRelationsandHRM,RoehamptonBusinessSchool,RoehamptonLaneSW155PULondon,écileGuillaume,SeniorLecturerinEmploymentRelationsandHRM,RoehamptonBusinessSchool,RoehamptonLane,LondonSW155PU,UK;email:cecileguillaume94@?2018BrianTowers(BRITOW)andJohnWiley&SonsLtd:..2CécileGuillaumeeindividualised(Colling,2004;DickensandHall,2006)andtradeunionshavebeendisplacedfromtheirtraditionalrole(O’al.,2015).Otherresearchhasconsideredtheprospectof‘binantlegalstrategies’toenforceemploymentrights(Colling,2012)whereacollectiveuseofthecourts,suchasinthecaseofmultipleequalpayclaims,plementtocollectivebargaining(al.,2015;Guillaume,2015,2018).However,whetherindividualorcollective,litigationstrategiesremainhazardous,withlimitedchancesess(Renton,2012).Thisarticleinvestigatestowhatextentandunderwhatconditionstradeunionsrelyuponlitigationtofurthertheirmembers’’useofthelawhasfocusedmainlyonstrategicandcollectiveusesoflitigation(Jefferys,2016;McCann,1994;Willemez,2003,2017a,2017b).Basedoninterviewswithtradeunionof?cersandof?cialsintheUK,thispaperinvestigatesthemeaning,:(i)Whatarethecharacteristicsandsizeofunionlegalservices?(ii)Whatarethevariousformsoflegalinternalisation?(iii)Whatistheroleofin-houselegalof?cers?And(iv)whatisthein?uenceoflegalrationalityontheframingofunionsissuesandtheirrepertoiresofaction?ANISATIONALPOWER,PROFESSIONALEXPERTISEANDLEGALISATIONThesigni?canceofsupportstructuresinsustaininglegalmobilisationhasbeenwellestablished(McCann,1994)atbothnationalandinternationallevelsandwithrefer-(2008)esstolegaland?-tions(EdelmanandSuchman,1999),tradeunionshaveinternalisedsomeelementsofthelegalsystemthroughthedevelopmentof‘instrumentalresources’(McCann,1994,)suchasin-houselegalexpertiseandknowledge(EdelmanandSuchman,1999).‘internalisationoflaw’(Edelman,2016)interactwithmoreformalusesoflaw,,comparedtootherformsoflegalinternalisationsuchascollectivebargainingordis-puteresolution,theactivityofunions’internallegalservicesremainsunder-researched(LattaandLewis,1974;McCammon,2001;Willemez,2003,2017a,2017b;Colling,2006;O’al.,2015).Yet,thecostofthisservicefortradeplianceprofessionals’(Edelman,2016).Dependingontheirsizeandtheirapproachtotheuseofthelaw,Britishtradeunionsemployupto45full-timespecialisedemployeesandmanyunionof?cershavebeenlegallytrainedinordertodealwithmembers’claims,?,butoneoftheirmainconcernsistoengageintheriskframingofthelegalenvironment,tobringcertainlawsandnormstoof?cials’(1999)arguedthatin-houselegalexpertscouldpotentiallyinsertlegalconsiderationsintotheearlieststagesofthedecisionprocess,?2018BrianTowers(BRITOW)andJohnWiley&SonsLtd:..Tradeunionsandlitigation3law,buttheycanalsopreventandconstrainlitigationbycharacterisingitascostly,unpredictableandunfair(Edelman,2016),designingproactivetrainingprogrammes,,theyhelptoshapetherecognition,de??cialsbeingexcludedfromdecisionsonunionissuesandstrategies(Colling,2009).Thisnotwithstanding,theuseoflitigationcanalsoleadtotheacknowledgementofnewcausesandawideningofunions’repertoiresofaction(Guillaume,2015,2018).anisationalresources,statusandexperience(Lejeune,2017),-ualchoicesin?uencehowandwhentradeunionshaverecoursetothelawandthere-forealsohelptoconsolidatetheirownpowerandprofessionalstatuswithinorganisations(Edelman,2016).AccordingtoNelsonandNielsen,insidecounselcancoverthreetypesofroles:cops,(NelsonandNielsen,2000).hemselvesprimarilyaslegalgatekeepers,’(NelsonandNielsen,2000).However,irrespectiveoftheirownorientations,professionalshavetoworkwithinanisations(EdelmanandSuchman,1999),whichmaybemoreorlesscoherentorfragmented;(Vanhala,2009),whichintheoryshouldhelptojustifylitigationefforts,recoursetoanisa-tions’characteristics(size,levelofdecentralisationandinternaldemocracyprocesses)andidentitypolitics(Hilson,2002;Vanhala,2009).Whereasscholarshaveidenti?edageneraltrendtowardsprofessionalisationwithinlargegeneraltradeunions,smallerand/ormoreradicaltradeunionsmayresistdepoliticisation(Denis,2003)(Edelman,2016;Edelman,RiggsFullerandMara-Drita,2001).Conversely,thisarticleinvestigateswhatplianceprofessionalshaveontheframingofunionagendasandwhatinterplaythereisbetweenlitigationandotherformsoflegal()andnon-legalaction(McCann,1994),,?nalsectionconsidersthelegalisationofunionactivityinountofthein?’usesoflawandlitigationvaryconsiderablyanisationalcharacteristics(Willemez,2017a;Colling,?2018BrianTowers(BRITOW)andJohnWiley&SonsLtd:..4CécileGuillaumeTable1:Interviewees’pro?lesanisationSexAgeTradeunionists(25)Formerseniorpolicyof?cerTUCWoman65–69Seniorpolicyof?cerTUCWoman40–44Nationalof?cerUNISONMan45–49EmploymentlawyerUNISONWoman30–35EmploymentlawyerUNISONWoman40–45AssistantgeneralsecretaryUNITEWoman60–64HeadoflegaldepartmentUNITEMan45–50HeadoflegaldepartmentGMBWoman45–50Nationalof?cerPCSMan50–54HeadoflegaldepartmentPCSMan55–60aniserPCSWoman30–35HeadoflegaldepartmentTSSAWoman65–69HeadoflegaldepartmentEQUITYMan50–55GeneralsecretaryASLEFMan50–55HeadoflegaldepartmentNUJMan50–55Man50–55HeadoflegaldepartmentNUTMan40–50Nationalof?cerFBUMan50–54Nationalof?cerCWUMan50–54HeadoflegaldepartmentCWUMan50–54HeadoflegaldepartmentPROSPECTWoman40–45HeadoflegaldepartmentUCUMan40–45HeadoflegaldepartmentUSDAWWoman35–40AssistantgeneralsecretaryNAPOMan50–54Nationalof?cerNAPOWoman45–50Legalpractitioners(10)EmploymentjudgeEmploymentTribunalWoman45–49EmploymentjudgeEmploymentTribunalWoman55–60SolicitorThompsonSolicitorsWoman50–54SolicitorThompsonSolicitorsWoman35–40SolicitorCrossSolicitorsMan50–54SolicitorLeighDay&CoSolicitorsMan30–34BarristerOldSquareChambersMan40–45BarristerCloistersChambersMan55–60BarristerGardenCourtChambersMan45–50BarristerMatrixChambersWoman40–452006),identitypolitics(Vanhala,2009),employmentrelationsdynamicsandthesizeplexityoftheirmembershipconstituencies(Colling,2006),aswellastheplianceprofessionals(Colling,2006;Willemez,2017b),?cersandof?cers/of?cialsinchargeoflegalmattersfromawiderangeoftradeunionsinordertocapturethediversityoftheBritishtradeunionmovement.?2018BrianTowers(BRITOW)andJohnWiley&SonsLtd:..Tradeunionsandlitigation5anisedinavarietyofways(Fulton,2013).anisepar-upations,suchasteachers,nursesorprobationof?-basedmon,althoughtherearesome,suchastheCWU,whichcovermunicationsworkers,,thegreatmajorityofunionmembersarenowinlargeunions,(UNITE,UNISONandGMB)accountfor56percentoftotalTUCmembershipintheprivateandpublicsectors(Fulton,2013).ThenextgroupofTUC-af?liatedunionsbysizearesmallerandmoreupations,suchasUSDAW,whichprimarilyorganisesshopworkers,orPCS,,manysmalltradeunionsalsoexist(138withfewerthan99,000membersand109withfewerthan9,999members1);?liatedtotheTUC,,orNAPO,alsoful?,asmallnumberoftradeunions,suchasRMTorFBU,havedisaf?liatedfromtheLabourPartyandtriedtodevelopamoreanisingmembersthroughrepeatedthreatsanduseofstrikeaction,alongsideapoliticallyengagedformofleft--depth,semi-structured,face-to-faceinterviewswith25tradeunionists(11legalof?cersand14unionof?cers/of?cials)in16unions(3large,7middle-sizedand6smallunions)-tionsonthenatureofunionlegalactivities(includinglitigation,trainingandadvice)andthevolumeofclaims(individualandcollective),thestructureofthelegaldepartmentandrelationswithexternallaw?rms,theinternalprocessesofinitiatingalegalcaseunderemploymentlaw,theirviewsontherelationshipsbetweenlitiga-?rmorchambersoftenworkwithtradeunionsinordertogathertheirviewsonemploymentlawandtribu-nalreform,aswellasmorespeci?