Saturday, March 15, 2014
Empire (Omni Shoreham)
The economic crisis is deepening the crisis of social-democratic trade unionism, which has been based on the attempts of the leadership at maintaining a balance between class and national interests. In the wake of the crisis, in countries with macro-economic imbalances, governments have been intervening with increasing frequency in the field of active labour market policies, with moves towards decentralisation and the weakening of collective bargaining, modifications of the arbitration system, changes in the system of consultation with social partners and more flexible working time arrangements. But also in countries that performed best in limiting unemployment, such as Germany and the UK, employment is shifting into the precarious labour market. These trends are reducing further the scope for trade union activity and for existing forms of social solidarity. At the same time, however, trade unions are being forced to adopt alternative strategic orientations, involving a willingness to engage in new practices beyond the workplace and to develop mechanisms for self-organisation and interest representation for previously underrepresented groups. Drawing upon recent literature and on 2013 inter-European research on racism in workplaces and trade union strategies (CRAW), the paper reflects upon the conditions for building a unitary trade union strategy in Europe. It argues that an understanding of the relation between globalisation and European integration is a preliminary condition for coming to terms with the diversity of interests within the working class, nationally and internationally, substantiating and renewing ‘old’ slogans and experiences of workers’ solidarity.
