Trade Unions and Polish Migrants in the United Kingdom: the Benefits and Limitations of Different Inclusion Strategies

This article examines how the United Kingdom (UK) trade unions organise Polish migrant workers in the aftermath of post EU enlargement migration, and what forms of inclusion strategies they implement. The benefits and limitations of various inclusionary approaches are scrutinised through the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with officers of three different large trade unions. These unions have at times, applied similar and at other times very different strategies, which depend on the unions' structures and decision-making. These approaches vary from equal treatment and the 'level playing field' approach to special treatment. While the first combined approach has resulted in some positive experiences in locating and recruiting Polish members, further inclusion through activism, however, calls for a special treatment approach.