Trade Union Activism in Very Small Companies: The Case of the Employee Advisor

Our study seeks to understand activism in very small companies in France. More precisely, we seek to identify the form taken by activism in this context and the activists' motivations. For this, we rely on 29 semi-structured interviews conducted with employee advisors of two main trade unions. Mobilizing the scientific literature on activism and union commitment, we have identified three profiles: the 'good soldier', the 'defender of rights' and the 'combatant'. The 'good soldier' has a strategy of promoting his union. His activism is expressed by a careful welcoming of the employee and an alignment on his position in his relationship with the employer. His activism shows that he is striving to maintain a balance between his union commitment and his private life. The second profile, the 'defender of rights', focuses on the legal dimensions of his commitment to the employees. The employee advisor seeks to build a partnership strategy with the employee in order to obtain the least possible penalties for the latter. The defence of employees' rights motivates his activism. The last profile, the 'combatant', is a highly experienced activist and is more interested in interpersonal relationships. The employee advisor establishes a conflict strategy. He unconditionally stands on the side of the employee. He offers total support to the employee and will mobilize his union without hesitation. The study highlights the diversity of activism in very small companies and the loyalty of employee advisors who remain committed to their trade union and support employees by evoking union activism. The latter broadly questions trade union practices in very small companies.