ABSTRACT
In the labour process perspective, trade union activity has often been seen as a barometer of managerial control. Braverman takes the view that many white-collar workers are drawn towards trade unionism because they are no longer in a position to attain membership of the professional middle class. N.A.L.G.O.'s origins were as a social club and a Friendly Society. N.A.L.G.O. affiliated to the T.U.C. in 1964 for tactical rather than ideological reasons. The affiliation was justified by reference to the role of the T.U.C. in influencing government policy, rather than the desirability of making common cause with manual labour. The nature of the trade union to which Welfareville's District Managers belonged, a multi-level union, traditionally distanced from the immediate workplace, provides a perspective on the possible significance of their allegiance to it. The 1970s witnessed the rapid growth of the shop stewards committee as a form of trade union organisation in Social Services Departments and elswhere in local government.
