Union formation and worker resistance in a multinational

A personal account of an Asian cabin crew member in UK civil aviation

Bibliographic Data

ID2374112
AuthorsIona Byford (University of Portsmouth, corresponding author), Susan Wong (0000-0002-8127-8121, Overseas Cabin Crew Union (OCCU))
Year2016
Volume30
Issue6
Pages1030-1038
Publication date2016-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWork Employment and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0950-0170 • E-ISSN: 1469-8722
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0950017016648871
OpenAlexW2474463967
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited8

This article presents a first-hand account and afterword by 'Susan Wong' on the formation of an Asian cabin crew trade union and the nine-year period of resistance in response to imposed changes to employment terms and conditions by the management of a UK multinational airline. The main issue was an imposed premature retirement age compared to UK-based colleagues. Opposition occurred in the UK courts, to identify the correct employment jurisdiction and then cite both age and race discrimination. The workers' victory over the company, which had similar plans for other overseas workers, demonstrates union efficacy and Susan's determination and resilience. The narrative enhances the understanding of the micro-processes of mobilization, the nature of discrimination and identity, and the lived experience of combining cabin crew work with union activism

Aeronautics · Aviation · Civil aviation · Crew · Jurisdiction · Multinational corporation · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Resistance (ecology · Victory · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · International Labor and Employment Law · Labor Movements and Unions · Law

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