Industrial Relations Journal 28:2 ISSN 0019-8692 Size and effectiveness: a case study of a small union John Black, Anne-Marie Greene and Peter Ackers This article challenges the conventional wisdom that increasing size is the key to effective trade union representation. We draw on case study research at the National Union of Lock and Metal Workers (NULMW), which has allowed certain assumptions about small and independent unions to be challenged and suggests some possible alternatives to concentration strategies as a response to a hostile environment. While there is wide debate about the impact recognition exists; the development of new of the political, legislative and economic cli- services and benefits to members; and the mate on the British trade union movement, negotiation of single-union deals[3]. How- the change in membership levels has perhaps ever, it is the popularity of the strategy of been the most dramatic[1]. Overall, British mergers between unions that will be the unions have experienced a decline in mem- focus of this article. bership of 21%, having lost members every The wave of merger activity since 1979 is year since 1979. National union density has reflected in the pace of the decline in the fallen from a high point in 1979 of 55% to its number of British unions, being the steepest present figure of 35%. From a financial stand- of any decade since 1920. The number of point (because the predominant source of unions had fallen from 438 in 1980 to only income is from membership subscriptions) 254 by 1993, having declined by 33 since and with respect to organisational growth, 1990[4]. This decline in the number of trade falling numbers must be seen as a major rea- unions has been accompanied by an increas- son why most unions appear to have taken ing concentration, so that the largest unions’ action to increase and maintain membership predomination is greater than ever[5]. Unions levels[2]. The responses have varied between with 100,000 or more members now account unions including recruitment initiatives both for almost 90% of all TUC-affiliated member- in areas of existing recognition and where no ship and the 8 largest unions account for over 60% of the total membership[6]. The decline ❒ John Black is Principal Lecturer in Industrial in the number of member unions, and the Relations and Human Resource Management at Wol- increasing concentration of those unions is verhampton Business School, University of Wolver- almost entirely attributable to merger hampton. Anne-Marie Greene is a Researcher at the activity[7]. Merger activity appears to be the same institution. Peter Ackers is Lecturer in Industrial ‘trend of the time’, leading some to predict Relations at the Business School, the University of Lougborough. that the structure of the future labour move-  Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 1997, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148, USA. 136 Industrial Relations Journal