ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the union membership survey which was conducted in the east and west German clothing industry. The concept of commitment comprised four elements: union loyalty; a feeling of responsibility towards the union; a willingness to exercise a strong effort on behalf of the union; and a belief in and acceptance of the values and goals of the union. Functioning labour institutions are then understood in this context to require three major attitudinal and behavioural attributes on the part of their members, which are summarised in the term 'collective commitment:' a commitment to collective values; a willingness to actively support the institutions; and a perceived necessity of the institutions and a positive evaluation of their performance. On the one hand, active union members may have been more likely than those less committed to fill in the questionnaire. However, on the other hand, dissatisfied members might have been more inclined to participate to make their views known.
