The need is for a social partnership, encompassing these groups and thus looking at social, economic and labour market policies together, avoiding compartmentalisation. Even Mark Textor couldn't hide the fact high levels of support for the role of trade unions in Australia, particularly amongst young people. The research was commissioned by Peter Reith and presented to a meeting of the state and federal Labour Ministers Council. Details of what Textor claims the survey revealed are discussed in this article. Textor's report says that opposition to individualised bargaining is based on employees feeling of inadequacy in communications skills and thus the feeling that they will be taken advantage of.
Self esteem is claimed to be the major determinant.
Other parts of his research indicate how unions do play a role in this process. This part of the AFL-CIO Union Cities programme, which was launched in 1996 through more than 130 central labor councils. The programme provides a strategic framework to help union and community groups come together. One good example was in Morganton, North Carolina, where parishioners of the St Charles Church collected food for striking workers from the poultry processing plant, many of them Guatemalan immigrants who had voted to join the Laborers Union. The church has become the unofficial headquarters of the workers and the church people and workers have carried out repairs to the church.