Solidarity Under Scrutiny: The impact of surveillance on trade union organising

This thesis explores the impact that workplace surveillance has on trade union activists,
and examines the extent to which workplace surveillance impacts the ability of trade union
activists to advocate for labour rights and negotiate with employers. The literature review
draws on the fields of surveillance studies and industrial relations to situate surveillance in the
workplace. It also draws on the emerging field of data justice to explore how developments in
digital technology are changing the ways in which employers can exert control over workers.
The aim of the project is to further understanding of how surveillance is shaping trade union
action in public sector workplaces in the UK. Data was collected through interviews and
through document analysis, forming three qualitative case studies aimed at answering
questions about how trade unions are shaping their activities in response to surveillance in
the workplace, and how in turn they are developing ways of resisting the control exerted by
surveillance. Thematic analysis of the findings demonstrates that the way surveillance is being
enacted across public sector workplaces varies in many ways, and the way that it is
experienced and resisted by various members is very different. The discussion examines the
impact that this might have for collective action and solidarity across the movement. It
considers the challenges the individualising effects of surveillance might have on collective
identity and suggests new directions in future research that incorporate aspects of critical data
studies.