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at their organisation had become more committed to employment security, compared to 42 percent who reported that this was not the case. A finding that is far from surprising given the fact that six out of every ten trade union reps claimed that security of employment had decreased during the previous three years. In addition, measures to improve the employability of staff had become an increasing priority in just a quarter of cases, and opportunities for the furtherance of non-vocational training was limited to just over a quarter of the sample. It is unsurprising, therefore, that six out of every ten MSF representatives disagreed with the statement that 'there has been an increased investment by the organisation in the quality of members' working lives'. This lack of investment contrasts starkly with the increased expectations put on MSF's members. For example, when asked about the changing nature of working conditions during the previous three years, 89 percent of respondents reported that the intensity of work had increased.

The limited nature of involvement with regard to business decisions and the lack of investment in human capital can clearly influence 'mutual-trust' at the workplace and 'hold-back' the development of genuine partnership relations. Less than a fifth of MSF representatives claimed that there was a high degree of mutual trust between management and unions at their organisation, compared to 56 percent of respondents who reported that this was not the case. Perhaps as a consequence, MSF representatives were more likely to disagree (45 percent) than agree (29 percent) with the statement that 'the future role of the union at this organisation should be dependent upon its success in contributing to performance improvements'.

In summary, the findings suggest that MSF representatives appear to be sensitive to the changing context and needs of contemporary organisations. In this regard, they are open to the concerns of workplace change and are realistic about management constraints. Yet as far as involvement, information sharing, and the working environment are concerned MSF representatives are much more ambivalent as to whether there has been any significant developments and change. These concerns are explored in more detail in the next section, which deals explicitly with the issue of voice.

Involvement and Communication
Successful organisations, it is often argued, are known for the way they communicate to, and incorporate, employees into decision-making processes. The philosophy of partnership draws from this interest in employee involvement. However, this renewed interest necessitates fundamental developments in the culture and practice of involvement and communication within organisations (see Ackers and Payne, 1998). As the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA) note:

Debates about company performance, awareness of investment and divestment, the state of the marketplace, training and personal development policies, redundancies and cutbacks are all central to the agenda of any effective forum. Building employee awareness of these issues and getting employees' views ensures that better decisions are made. (IPA, 1997:16)

The questionnaire investigated the extent of MSF involvement across a range of key workplace issues. Involvement was defined in terms