Trade Unions in the European Union

This book offers a comprehensive comparative overview of the development, structure, and policies of trade unions in all the 27 Member States of the EU from 2000 to 2020. It presents an in-depth analysis of the neoliberal challenges facing these organizations and their strategic and policy responses.

Trade unions have repeatedly been challenged by neoliberal programmes implemented within Member States of the European Union (EU) and at the European level. The twentyseven country chapters at the core of this book chart the features of the neoliberal challenge in the EU Member States and the measures implemented by unions in their attempts to adapt to changed circumstances since 2000. It is clear that union activity, either independently or in conjunction with allies, will be at the centre of revitalization campaigns if the pieces left from the neoliberal challenges are to be picked up and wielded into a coherent response. This book offers a comprehensive comparative overview of the development, structure, and policies of national trade union movements in the EU. It presents an in-depth analysis of the challenges facing these organizations and their strategic and policy responses from 2000 to 2020.

Autorentext

Jeremy Waddington is Emeritus Professor of Industrial Relations, University of Manchester Torsten Müller is Senior Researcher at the ETUI, Brussels Kurt Vandaele is Senior Researcher at the ETUI, Brussels

Inhalt
List of figures - List of tables - List of contributors - Preface - Chapter 1 Trade unions in the European Union: Identifying challenges - Chapter 2 Austria: Trade unions in a world of 'contested stability'? - Chapter 3 Belgium: Trade unions coping with workplace fissuring and opposing wage moderation in a tottering political system - Chapter 4 Bulgaria: Trade unions establishing legitimacy through institution-building and the usages of 'Europe' - Chapter 5 Croatia: Trade unions able to retain influence despite loss of resources - Chapter 6 Cyprus: A divided society with trade unions on a slow retreat - Chapter 7 Czechia: Trade unions escaping marginalization - Chapter 8 Denmark: Trade unions still afloat at ebb tide - Chapter 9 Trade unions in Estonia: Less than meets the eye - Chapter 10 Finland: Trade unions struggling within a Ghent system - Chapter 11 France: Fragmented trade unions, few members,but many voters and much social unrest - Chapter 12 Germany: Different worlds of trade unionism - Chapter 13 Greek trade unions during the period 2000- 2020: Plus ça change? - Chapter 14 Hungary: After the end of illusions, trade unions on the brink of marginality - Chapter 15 Ireland: Trade unions recovering after being tipped off balance by the Great Recession? - Chapter 16 Trade unions in Italy: Pluralism and resilience - Chapter 17 Latvia: Trade unions with the potential to escape marginalization - Chapter 18 Lithuania: Trade unions still see light at the end of the tunnel - Chapter 19 Trade unions in Luxembourg: Residual institutional strength and declining mobilization capacity - Chapter 20 Malta: Trade union resilience in a changing environment - Chapter 21 Trade unions in the Netherlands: Erosion of their power base in the stable Polder Model - Chapter 22 Poland: Trade unions developing after a decline - Chapter 23 Trade unions in Portugal: Between Marginalization and revitalization - Chapter 24 Trade unions in Romania: Walking the thin line between politics and the market - Chapter 25 Trade unions in Slovakia: From politics to bread-and-butter unionism - Chapter 26 Slovenia: From strong trade union movement to uneven de-unionization - Chapter 27 Spain: Boundaries, roles and changes in trade unionism - Chapter 28 Trade unions in Sweden: still high union density, but widening gaps by social category and national origin - Chapter 29 Conclusion: Trade Unions picking up the pieces from the neoliberal challenge - Appendix A1 Indicators relevant to trade unions in the European Union