Abstract
Two fundamental aims motivated this research: (a) to determine whether in the nursing profession, there existed a condition which could legitimately he classified under the generic heading of nurses' militancy, and (b) if evidence is available to make this a meaningful concept, then place the empirical findings into a theoretical model, which is generated from the research data itself. The approach to this study was mainly by documentary analysis. In this connection, a study was made of the history of the profession, followed by a review of the literature of the concepts of 'profession' and 'white-collar unionism'. 'Key' and other informants, together with other sources, were used to make a detailed study of every claim submitted by the Staff Side of the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council for the period 1960 to 1972. These claims formed the basis for an investigation of the various manifestations of militancy by nurses during this period, together with an analysis of the interactive effect they exerted on the participating nurses' organisations. A comparative study of nurses' salaries, as a component of the market situation, was undertaken, and this was facilitated by an analysis of Government Statistics. Finally, a model generated from the research data itself was postulated. This asserted that within the profession of nursing a synthesis of 'union' and 'profession' had been occurring in such a way that the emerging image held by nurses in the '70's of union and professional organisation was no longer as divergent as hitherto had been the case. In the hope that this specific model could be extended to make a contribution to a theory of professional militancy, grounded in generalisation about the content and structure of such behaviour the hypothesis was tested against the organisational forms of other comparable groups.