Working Lives Research Institute
At a seminar held on Tuesday 13 July 2010, around 40 regional officers of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) were presented with a summary of two pieces of research conducted by WLRI researchers for the RCN.
The first, a review drawing on literature both from the UK as well as from the USA, Canada and Australia: ‘Trade union recognition and the independent healthcare sector’ was written by Nick Clark and sets out existing evidence regarding the benefits of trade union recognition at workplace level, specifically focusing upon the independent healthcare sector.
The second piece of research 'The benefits of trade union recognition in the independent healthcare sector', written by Sonia McKay and Nick Clark comprised a case study of one independent healthcare sector employer where the RCN has a formal recognition agreement. Regional officers discussed the benefits which recognition could bring to workers in the independent sector but also noted that there were barriers that had to be overcome to enable recognition agreements to function so as to provide workers with an effective voice in the sector. Following on from the research and from a consultation exercise which it conducted, the RCN has developed a new organising strategy which focuses attention on the needs of the one in three of its members who now work in the independent healthcare sector. The strategy will be rolled out over the coming months and will be regularly monitored by the RCN.