MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Deploying resources
It probably hasn't assisted in achieving the kind of cohesion that
we might want. But on the other hand we are only two years
into the merger and I think that in that sense we have made
remarkable progress, despite any impression I might otherwise
have given! No, I do think that we have made a lot of progress.
(Interviewee F)
There is no indication that, in UNiFI, managers felt that an approach of
valuing the cultures of the old unions was at all appropriate, perhaps
because they were so evident in the three buildings anyway. A solution
for the problem of lack of cultural integration was, however, offered
from several sources:-
I believe that there should be a new office. That's my belief.
Because I think you would still end up with the situation of the
Raynes Park takeover, even now two years on. (Interviewee B)
I have a view that there should be one head office damn quick.
My next main view is that it should not be at Raynes Park simply
because Raynes Park is not easy to get to, it is too much a
symbol of BIFU, because this organisation is still too much like
BIFU. Secondly, it is just not a nice place. So my view is that
there should be one head office very soon but it shouldn't be
there. Now, that is easy to say but not easy to achieve because
we have people involved. We have got staff and it has to be in
the southeast, it has to be within travelling distance of the
majority of the support staff at work there at the moment
because they are in the majority. (Interviewee H)
We should relocate centrally. That is, somewhere other than
here (Raynes Park). This is a dump and it is not worthy of our
aspirations as a national trade union. I mean, I know there are
lots of options about whether you develop the site or whether
you lease it back or all that which I have not gone into but I think
we should have a central office where all the full time officials
are employed. (Interviewee F)
Several managers were location specific, believing that the new office
should be in Basingstoke. But one pointed out the difficulties that now
lay in the way of achieving such an aspiration:-
I think there should be a new office but with all of the possibilities
of merger and everything else I don't think that is a viable
proposition so my view would be that actually we would end up
staying as we are (interviewee M)
This, indeed, has proved to be the case. And the continued existence
of cultural stresses and strains is illustrated by one account of views
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