Union Representatives: The Cornerstone of Organising

By Timothy Bartram, Lauren Elovaris and Pauline Stanton

Based on a survey of Australian Nursing Federation members, this paper investigates the characteristics of job representatives.

It shows that union commitment, employer trust, union training courses, collegial support and full-time employment are statistically significant in predicting stewardship. It was found that job representatives show a greater commitment to the recruitment of new members. In addition, a considerable number of union members would be willing to become job representatives should they be given more time or reduced working hours; more training or knowledge of responsibilities; or more money or rewards. This paper argues that job representatives are a central component of the organising strategy, and that a successful organising strategy is needed for the continued growth and revitalisation of unions.

(21st Century Work - High Road or Low Road?: Proceedings of the 20th AIRAANZ Conference, Volume 1 First published February 2006 By the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand (AIRAANZ) page 61