The Internet, employment and Polish migrant workers : Communication, activism and competition in the new organisational spaces

This article discusses the content of Polish communityadministered websites and trade union engagement. It is based on three sources of data, firstly, semi-structured interviews with Polish web administrators and trade union officers in the north of England. Secondly, audits of the location of Polish administered UK websites undertaken in April 2007 and 2008. Lastly, an in-depth thematic questionnaire was undertaken of websites in November 2008. The key findings are that the Internet is an increasingly systematic feature of new migrant politics and representation. Further the trade union movement is not at odds with independent and virtual forms of communication and representation. It does pose questions of how to combine and coordinate these and create a more meaningful and sustainable dialogue based on a politics of empowerment.