Phelan “Worldwide Trends and Prospects for trade Union Revitalisation”
in Phelan, Craig. 2007. Trade union revitalisation: trends and prospects in 34 countries. Oxford: Peter Lang.
- Trade unionism worldwide is losing influence in areas of traditional concern (wages, hours, and working conditions) AND losing capacity to promote broader aims of political democracy (21)
- Unions in old Centrally Managed Economies (eastern europe) have generally found it exceedingly difficult to establish footholds in new democratic regimes, prompting increasingly experimental revitalisation efforts
- Social Movement unionism has caught on around the world, focuses on
- coalition building (especially grassroots) with community, political, and civil activists
- broadening focus from just workplace issues to broader concern for social justice (Waterman 1998)
- “Organising those who have been traditionally excluded or underrepresented in trade union movements has become a key component of revitalising strategies” (26)
- loss of membership has limited political clout
- also links between parties and unions have withered (30-31), see UK, Germany, USA
- though in some cases, Spain, Italy, unions have been able to increase/fortify links (31-32)
No comments:
Post a Comment