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Why Trade Unions Oppose Basic Income

Author

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  • Vanderborght Yannick

    (Belgian Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS), and Hoover Chair, Université Catholique de Louvain)

Abstract

In most OECD countries trade unions remain key players in the field of welfare state reform. And yet, surprisingly little attention has been paid by proponents of a universal basic income (BI) to the very position of workers unions on the radical reform that they are advocating. This paper tackles this issue in three complementary ways. First, it offers a brief overview of the (scarce) literature on basic income and trade unions. Second, it focuses on plausible arguments that could be used by trade unions to oppose or, alternatively, support a basic income. Finally, empirical information collected in Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands is used to test the robustness of the theoretical assumptions. These investigations demonstrate that trade unions are far from being natural allies of BI advocates within developed welfare states. As evidenced by the Belgian case, they can even constitute a significant obstacle to the political progression of the idea.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanderborght Yannick, 2006. "Why Trade Unions Oppose Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 1(1), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bistud:v:1:y:2006:i:1:n:5
    DOI: 10.2202/1932-0183.1002
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Offe Claus, 2008. "Basic Income and the Labor Contract," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-30, July.
    2. Luca Michele Cigna, 2022. "Looking for a North Star? Ideological justifications and trade unions’ preferences for a universal basic income," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 28(2), pages 129-146, June.
    3. Ville-Veikko Pulkka, 2017. "A free lunch with robots – can a basic income stabilise the digital economy?," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(3), pages 295-311, August.
    4. Parolin, Zachary & Siöland, Linus, 2019. "Support for a Universal Basic Income: A Demand-Capacity Paradox?," OSF Preprints fvh92, Center for Open Science.
    5. Jenkins Davis, 2015. "Distribution and Disruption," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 10(2), pages 257-279, December.
    6. Koistinen Pertti & Perkiö Johanna, 2014. "Good and Bad Times of Social Innovations: The Case of Universal Basic Income in Finland," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1-2), pages 25-57, December.
    7. Luke Haywood, 2014. "Bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen: eine ökonomische Perspektive," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 33, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    8. Elise Aerts; & Ive Marx; & Gerlinde Verbist;, 2023. "Not That Basic: How Level, Design and Context Matter for the Redistributive Outcomes of Universal Basic Income," Working Papers 2303, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    9. Manjarin Edgar & Szlinder Maciej, 2016. "A Marxist Argumentative Scheme on Basic Income and Wage Share in an Anti-capitalist Agenda," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 49-59, June.
    10. Casassas David, 2016. "Economic Sovereignty as the Democratization of Work: The Role of Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Haagh Louise, 2015. "Alternative Social States and the Basic Income Debate: Institutions, Inequality and Human Development," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 45-81, June.
    12. Aerts, Elise & Marx, Ive & Verbist, Gerlinde, 2023. "Not That Basic: How Level, Design and Context Matter for the Redistributive Outcomes of Universal Basic Income," IZA Discussion Papers 15952, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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