Union-division: on the paradoxes of purpose and membership scope in union mergers Rebecca Bednarek, Stephen Blumenfeld and Sally Riad ABSTRACT Union mergers raise central questions about a union’s raison d’être and the range of constituents it can serve effectively. Whereas the challenges posed by union purpose and scope of membership have long engaged researchers, few studies have fleshed out the contradictory issues that engage committed members and leaders during a merger. We argue that in mergers, fundamental themes in unionism intersect in paradoxical ways. We analyse a merger of tertiary education unions in New Zealand and situate its debates within a changing context for industrial relations. The case provides insight into the tensions inherent in union mergers by addressing the drivers for integration and differentiation as well as the role of leaders in shaping these. The findings elucidate paradoxical dynamics inherent in mergers: the paradox of purpose confronts the tension between industrial and craft unionism and the paradox of membership scope considers critical mass and communities of interest. The conclu- sion reflects on identity, leadership and context during mergers and poses contribu- tions to research and practice. 1 INTRODUCTION The field of industrial relations has long wrestled with questions surrounding the purpose and membership scope of trade unions. Perhaps in no other context are such essential themes on unions more crucial than in union mergers wherein different perspectives on the role of trade unions intersect and become contested. Our premise is that union mergers raise fundamental questions about unions (Chaison, 2004)— specifically: what is the purpose of a union and whom should it represent? Extensive literature on union mergers has engaged with different aspects of purpose and mem- bership scope, yet few studies have fleshed out the varied and contradictory issues that engage committed members and leaders during the merger process. ❒ Rebecca Bednarek is Research Fellow in Aston Business School, Aston University, Stephen Blumenfeld is Senior Lecturer in School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington and Sally Riad is Senior Lecturer in School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington. Correspondence should be addressed to Sally Riad, School of Management, University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand; email: sally.riad@vuw.ac.nz Industrial Relations Journal 43:6, 548–571 ISSN 0019-8692 © 2012 The Author(s) Industrial Relations Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.