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European trade union cooperation, union density and employee attitudes to unions

Author

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  • Bengt FurÃ¥ker

    (Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology and Work Science, 174422University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

Abstract

European trade unions have much to gain from cooperating with each other. Such cooperation does exist, but it is still fairly limited and many obstacles need to be overcome if cooperation is to be improved. According to our survey data, higher-level union officials regard differences concerning financial resources and national labour market regulations to be particularly substantial barriers to cooperation. The enormously varying union density across Europe, and its general decrease, also creates barriers. Therefore, employee attitudes to unions are examined using data from the International Social Survey Programme. As expected, union members tend to be more positive about trade unions than non-members. The most interesting finding, however, is that employees in some countries with low union density exhibit fairly positive views or at least views that are not less positive than what we find among employees in many countries with higher density rates. This suggests that there is potential for recruiting members.

Suggested Citation

  • Bengt FurÃ¥ker, 2020. "European trade union cooperation, union density and employee attitudes to unions," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(3), pages 345-358, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:treure:v:26:y:2020:i:3:p:345-358
    DOI: 10.1177/1024258920933118
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Larsson, Bengt & Bengtsson, Mattias & Lovén Seldén, Kristina, 2012. "Transnational Trade Union Cooperation in the Nordic Countries," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 23(1), pages 32-48.
    2. Hyman, Richard, 2005. "Trade unions and the politics of the European social model," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 753, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Larsson, Bengt & Bengtsson, Mattias & Lovén Seldén, Kristina, 2012. "Transnational Trade Union Cooperation in the Nordic Countries," management revue. Socio-economic Studies, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 23(1), pages 32-48.
    4. Paul Marginson & Franz Traxler, 2005. "After enlargement: preconditions and prospects for bargaining coordination," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 11(3), pages 423-438, August.
    5. Bengt Larsson, 2012. "Obstacles to transnational trade union cooperation in Europe—results from a European survey," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(2), pages 152-170, March.
    6. Bengt Furåker & Bengt Larsson, 2020. "Trade Union Cooperation in Europe," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-38770-9, June.
    7. John Kelly, 2015. "Trade union membership and power in comparative perspective," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(4), pages 526-544, December.
    8. Colin Crouch, 2017. "Membership density and trade union power," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(1), pages 47-61, February.
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