Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick

European Trade Unions and Atypical Workers

The increase in ‘atypical’ or precarious forms of work, including part-time, temporary or agency, contracted-out, posted, dependent self-employed and undocumented work, has created one of the major challenges facing trade unions in Europe today. Indeed, the ‘atypical’ has become more and more ‘typical’ in a number of European countries, particularly among women and younger workers. The rise in atypical forms of work calls for changes in the way trade unions develop strategies, policies and structures and presents a challenge to their traditional ways of thinking and organising. This article begins with the definition of atypical work and a general overview of the literature on the subject before moving on to the nature of the challenge it creates for trade unions in Europe and an overview of their responses, drawing on preliminary findings from a three-year research project in unions in 10 European countries. The article concludes that while unions have made a great deal of progress in addressing the concerns of atypical workers, they will have to make substantial changes to their structures, thinking and way of operating in order to be fully able to respond to the challenge of this growing form of work.

Trade unions, politics and parties: is a new configuration possible?

Trade unions are not merely economic (or ‘industrial relations’) actors: they are necessarily protagonists in the political arena. Regulating the labour market is a question of power resources. Yet if unions are inescapably both economic and political actors, the relationship between the two roles is complex and contradictory, and the priority assigned to each varies across countries and over time. Four factors seem of particular importance in explaining these distinctive patterns: ideology, opportunity structures, organizational capacity and contextual challenges. We explore these issues with reference to ten west European countries, and end by pointing to some of the ideational and practical reasons why unions must explicitly redefine their political identities. Les syndicats ne sont pas uniquement des acteurs économiques (ou « des relations professionnelles »). Ils sont nécessairement des protagonistes de l’arène politique. La réglementation du marché du travail est une question de ressources de pouvoir. Pourtant, si les syndicats sont inévitablement à la fois des acteurs économiques et politiques, la relation entre ces deux rôles est complexe et contradictoire et la priorité accordée à chacun varie d’un pays à l’autre et avec le temps. Quatre facteurs semblent être particulièrement importants pour expliquer ces différences: l’idéologie, les structures d’opportunités, la capacité organisationnelle et les défis contextuels. Les auteurs examinent ces questions en faisant référence à dix pays d’Europe de l’Ouest et concluent en soulignant certaines raisons conceptuelles et pratiques pour lesquelles les syndicats devraient redéfinir de manière explicite leur identité politique. Gewerkschaften sind nicht nur wirtschaftliche Akteure (oder Akteure der Arbeitsbeziehungen), sondern spielen zwangsläufig auch in der politischen Arena eine wichtige Rolle. Die Regulierung des Arbeitsmarktes ist eine Frage der Machtressourcen. Gewerkschaften sind zwar unweigerlich sowohl wirtschaftliche als auch politische Akteure, aber die Beziehung zwischen diesen beiden Rollen ist komplex und widersprüchlich, und die Priorität, die ihnen eingeräumt wird, ist je nach Land unterschiedlich und verändert sich im Lauf der Zeit. Für diese unterschiedlichen Muster scheinen vier Faktoren ausschlaggebend zu sein: ideologische Faktoren, Möglichkeitsstrukturen (opportunity structures), die Fähigkeit zur Mitgliedergewinnung und kontextbezogene Herausforderungen. Der Beitrag untersucht diese Aspekte in zehn westeuropäischen Ländern und verweist abschließend auf einige ideelle und praktische Gründe, weshalb Gewerkschaften ihre politische Identität unbedingt neu definieren müssen.

Embedded Collectivism? Workplace Representation in France and Germany

In most countries of western Europe it makes little sense to speak of non-union employee representation, as this is understood in the Anglo-American world, for the principle of collective representation independent of the employer is strongly institutionalised. In this article we examine experience in two countries. In Germany, works councils with a wide repertoire of rights typically work in close partnership with trade unions. The system has experienced strains in recent years, and a growing proportion of mainly smaller workplaces are covered neither by councils nor by collective agreements; but there is virtually no evidence of alternative ‘voice’ mechanisms, and systems of direct participation are normally introduced by negotiation with councils. In France, works committees have fewer powers, and a divided trade union movement has been less successful than its German counterpart in ‘embedding’ the legally mandated institutions, at least in the private sector. Despite some common trends in both countries, national distinctiveness remains very apparent. There is growing scope for managerial strategic choice, but this is still institutionally bounded. Much more generally, countries displaying characteristics of a ‘European social model’ can be expected to sustain a close articulation between union and ‘non-union’ channels of representation.

Global Unions as imperfect multilateral organizations: An international relations perspective

This study applies an international relations framework and the notion of multilateral organizations as a means of understanding the nature of trade union internationalism and the conditions under which it operates. The authors argue that international trade unionism involves an imperfect multilateralism which requires close working relationships between small groups of unions in order to function, that is, a ‘minilateral’ method of working. By using this framework the authors attempt to highlight the intrinsic durability and adaptability of the Global Unions and also identify areas of activity that serve to strengthen them as organizations, primarily by building affiliates’ engagement and investment in them.

The International Trade Union Confederation: From Two (or More?) Identities to One

The International Trade Union Confederation was founded in 2006, consisting primarily of former affiliates of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour (although its creation was not formally a merger). I show how changes in the ideologies and identities of both confederations helped to overcome years of mutual antagonism and paved the way for unification. I consider the unification process in the broader perspective of the literature on trade union mergers but stress the need to focus on the role of ideas in such structural changes. The conclusion considers the problems the new confederation faces in developing a common set of ideas and a clear identity out of the separate orientations of its forerunners.

What about the workers? The implications of Brexit for British and European labour:

In June 2016, a small majority of voters called for Britain to leave the EU. In this article, we discuss the referendum itself and the form which Brexit may take. It has become clear that the current UK government is committed to a ‘hard’ Brexit which will rupture most existing ties with the EU. While much uncertainty remains, there are alarming indications that ‘regaining sovereignty’ – a key slogan of the Brexit campaign – will translate into abject subservience to the most erratic right-wing US administration in history. We examine the implications of Brexit for labour rights in general and for British trade union participation in European Works Councils in particular: there are many reasons for apprehension. We assess the economic and political fall-out, and end by exploring possible consequences for international trade union solidarity in Europe. In general, trade union policy-makers in Europe are committed to resisting ‘divide-and-rule’ strategies by employers, but there will undoubtedly be tensions.

European trade unions: in search of a narrative

We must first thank the Editor for arranging this Symposium, and Roland Erne, Guglielmo Meardi and Ida Regalia for their kind though perceptive commentaries. They say little with which we would want to disagree, but on a number of points we try to clarify what we were (and were not) attempting to do when we wrote the book, and to address some issues in comparative research on trade unionism where the reviewers themselves clearly adopt different perspectives.

Resisting labour market insecurity: old and new actors, rivals or allies?

In most of the world, work has usually been precarious. For several decades, however, greater employment security was achieved in the developed economies. These gains have been increasingly eroded by neoliberal globalisation. We focus on Western Europe to examine whether trade unions are merely protectors of the remaining labour market ‘insiders’, or whether they can also represent the interests of the growing numbers of ‘outsiders’. We also examine the role of ‘new’ social movements in mobilising against insecurity. Our reflections end by considering whether and how the two modes of response offered by trade unions and social movements may be integrated.

Trade unions in Europe: Challenges and responses: New Contexts and Challenges in Europe

Trade unions are collective organisations with the purpose of defending and advancing the interests of workers. However, which workers are represented, how their interests are conceived and what methods are adopted to pursue these objectives are issues that show great variation both within and between countries. These differences in turn affect how they address questions relating to labour migration. In this chapter, we explore the different models of European trade unionism and their contrasting approaches to issues of recruitment and representation.

Arbeitnehmerinteressen und Gewerkschaftspolitik: Nationale und transnationale Perspektiven Jenseits nationaler Grenzen: Gewerkschaften, Europa und die Welt

Globalisation, European integration and the Euro-crisis created new framework conditions and challenges which require new answers in the areas of industrial relations and trade union policy. This volume contains contributions which deal with these issues from a theoretically, empirically and internationally comparative perspective.