Introduction du symposium « Le syndicalisme en quête d’autonomie et de renouvellement en Europe : études de cas : Grèce, Espagne, Portugal et France / Unionism in Search of Autonomy and Renewal in Europe : Case Studies: Greece, Spain, Portugal and France. »

Dufresne, Anne;Vandewattyne, Jean
(2015) Relations industrielles — Vol. 70, n° 2, p. 201-217 (2015)

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  • Dufresne, AnneUCLouvain
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  • Vandewattyne, JeanULB
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Abstract
(en) Unionism1 emerged in Europe in the mid-19th century as a large social move- ment that brought profound changes to the content of work and to society. For trade unions in the 1930s, the challenge was to enact far-reaching reforms in their representations and practices in order to turn this social movement into a collective bargaining institution. Today, European economic integration, especial- ly since the 2008 crisis, has led to a trend-setting standardization of national col- lective bargaining systems, in which both the role and legitimacy of trade unions are challenged, as is their bargaining autonomy, through strict control over wage increases2 and the reduction of social rights (unemployment benefits, pensions, etc.). This marks a profound break with the historical development of collective bargaining, which was based on negotiating these rights, and thus most likely a new turning point in the history of unionism. This Symposium therefore explores the dynamics at work in four European countries: Greece, Spain, Portugal and France. The articles in this issue examine the conditions that would help unionism revive the historical dynamics behind the social movement in order to re-establish itself as a political actor in its own right. This examination focuses on the recent period, which started with the last financial-cum-economic crisis.
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Dufresne, A., & Vandewattyne, J. (2015). Introduction du symposium « Le syndicalisme en quête d’autonomie et de renouvellement en Europe : études de cas : Grèce, Espagne, Portugal et France / Unionism in Search of Autonomy and Renewal in Europe : Case Studies: Greece, Spain, Portugal and France. ». Relations industrielles, 70(2), 201-217. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/186682 (Original work published 2015)