Social media

Trade unions are important avenues for the expression and representation of common social and economic concerns. Despite their significance in civil society, trade unions are currently facing problems maintaining their relevance and membership base. Social media technologies have the capacity to reconfigure dramatically the way in which employees express voice within and through trade unions. This may contribute to the regeneration of unions and, more broadly, the rebuilding of collective participation in civil society. This chapter will explore the results of empirical research on how trade unions are using social media to communicate with and represent members’ interests. Trade unions are increasingly active on Facebook, twitter and other social media channels, providing members with a variety of avenues not only to gain information from the union but also to express opinions on industrial issues and to convey their attitudes towards their union and its views and actions. This chapter will provide a pathbreaking analysis on the development of e-voice, how social media is affecting employees’ experiences of voice within their trade unions and the implications of this for membership participation and union representation in today’s society.