Trade Unions and Euroscepticism

This paper builds on the framework for understanding trade unions’ attitudes towards the European Union as elaborated by authors like Erne (2008), Bieler (2005, 2006), Dølvik (1997), Hyman (2010) and Gumbrell-McCormick and Hyman (2013). These authors have seen unions’ attitudes as shaped by structures of opportunity at various levels but especially at domestic level, resulting in a dynamic and largely reactive process of positioning which has sometimes been seen as ‘out of step’ with grassroots Euroscepticism. The paper therefore seeks to add to our understanding not just of intermediate organisations such as trade unions and their approach to European integration, but also of the relationship between Euroscepticism and public opinion as expressed in surveys but also as ‘civil society’ behaviours. Leconte (2010) has argued that civil society will increasingly become a forum for the expression of Eurosceptic attitudes as the EU moves further into the sphere of values; however it is argued here that civil society as an expression of interest-based politics may display increasingly Eurosceptic attitudes to the extent that EU policy outlets can be framed as creating winners and losers (as opposed to positive sum games). As such the paper seeks to contribute to a growing literature aiming to conceptualise Euroscepticism as increasingly mainstream political behaviour. The paper is based on empirical case studies of trade unions in three countries marked by persistent (UK, Sweden) or growing (France) Euroscepticism as measured for example by Eurobarometer and other attitudinal surveys as well as by specific features of party-based Euroscepticism.