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The rise of professional unions in Germany. Challenge and threat for established industrial relations?

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  • Berndt Keller

Abstract

The author analyses the rise of professional unions, one of the most remarkable developments in German labour movement since the early 2000s. By means of strikes, they managed to get officially accepted as autonomous partners for collective bargaining. The author asks whether their emergence challenges or even threats the established systems of industrial relations.

Suggested Citation

  • Berndt Keller, 2018. "The rise of professional unions in Germany. Challenge and threat for established industrial relations?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 278-294, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:49:y:2018:i:3:p:278-294
    DOI: 10.1111/irj.12215
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Catharine Ross, 2013. "New unions in the UK : the vanguard or the rearguard of the union movement?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(1), pages 78-94, January.
    2. Greef, Samuel & Speth, Rudolf, 2013. "Berufsgewerkschaften als lobbyistische Akteure: Potenziale, Instrumente und Strategien," Arbeitspapiere 275, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Düsseldorf.
    3. Lesch Hagen, 2015. "Spartengewerkschaften, Statuskonflikte und Gemeinwohl: Gesetzlicher Ordnungsrahmen statt Laissez-faire," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 64(1), pages 111-136, April.
    4. Pete Burgess & Graham Symon, 2013. "Collective bargaining unity and fragmentation in Germany: Two concepts of trade unionism?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 34(4), pages 719-739, November.
    5. Bachmann, Ronald & Henssler, Martin & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Talmann, Anna, 2011. "Empirische Analyse der Auswirkungen der Tarifpluralität auf das deutsche Tarifvertragssystem und auf die Häufigkeit von Arbeitskämpfen: Enbericht - Februar 2011," RWI Projektberichte, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, number 69956.
    6. Berndt Keller, 2005. "Union Formation through Merger: The Case of Ver.di in Germany," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(2), pages 209-232, June.
    7. Edmund Heery & Carola Frege, 2006. "New Actors in Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(4), pages 601-604, December.
    8. Jelle Visser, 2012. "The rise and fall of industrial unionism," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 18(2), pages 129-141, May.
    9. Ellguth, Peter & Kohaut, Susanne, 2017. "Tarifbindung und betriebliche Interessenvertretung: Ergebnisse aus dem IAB-Betriebspanel 2016," WSI-Mitteilungen, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 70(4), pages 278-286.
    10. Schnabel Claus, 2015. "Tarifeinheit, Tarifpluralität und Spartengewerkschaften: Ein Plädoyer für gesetzgeberische Zurückhaltung," Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 64(1), pages 33-43, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nana Wesley Hansen & Nick Krachler, 2024. "Conditions for cross-professional union coalition-building: When enough is enough, but solidarity also has its limits!," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 45(2), pages 530-555, May.
    2. Berndt Keller, 2018. "Professional unions in Germany: theoretical explanations and practical consequences for industrial relations," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 24(4), pages 437-450, November.
    3. Bernd Brandl & Nils Braakmann, 2021. "The effects of collective bargaining systems on the productivity function of firms: An analysis of bargaining structures and processes and the implications for policy making," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 218-236, May.
    4. Birgit Apitzsch & Maximiliane Wilkesmann & Caroline Ruiner & Mona Bassyiouny & Ronny Ehlen & Lena Schulz, 2023. "Labour market collectivism: New solidarities of highly skilled freelance workers in medicine, IT and the film industry," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(4), pages 1149-1175, November.
    5. Martin Behrens & Andreas Pekarek, 2021. "Divided We Stand? Coalition Dynamics in the German Union Movement," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 503-531, June.

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