Workplace partnership and the displaced activist thesis

Advocates and critics of partnership have advanced a series of theoretical arguments in respect of the potential consequences for unions working under partnership arrangements. These include centralised decision–making and the alienation of lay activists. In the case study examined here partnership involved centralised decision–making, but this did not result in serious conflicts or lead to the rejection of joint arrangements. We argue for a theoretical approach focusing on the contingencies that shape relations between union officers and lay activists under partnership.