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Trade unions' responses to Industry 4.0 amid corporatism and resistance

Author

Listed:
  • Valeria Cirillo

    (Universita' degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy)

  • Matteo Rinaldini

    (Universita' degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy)

  • Jacopo Staccioli

    (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Italy)

  • Maria Enrica Virgillito

    (Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the paths, directions, and ensuing degrees of technological adoption fostered by trade unions or, alternatively, forms of resistance thereof, in the so called ‘Italian Motor-Valley', a distinctive technological district located in the outskirts of Bologna, Italy, specialised in the engineering and automotive industry. We find that the introduction of Industry 4.0 technology opens up a new space of action for trade unions in influencing firms' decisions on technological adoption. However, this new scope can have ambiguous effects, depending on how the process is governed. On the one hand, trade unions' involvement in said decisions might end up fostering corporatist tendencies, favouring the alignment of workers' and managers' objectives. On the other hand, such a major involvement can help both recomposing old forms of dualism and revitalising workers' role in the crucial issue of work organisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Valeria Cirillo & Matteo Rinaldini & Jacopo Staccioli & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2023. "Trade unions' responses to Industry 4.0 amid corporatism and resistance," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 76(305), pages 91-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:psl:pslqrr:2023:21
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    Cited by:

    1. Valeria Cirillo & Matteo Rinaldini & Maria Enrica Virgillito & Maria Luisa Divella & Caterina Manicardi & Francesco Sabato Massimo & Armanda Cetrulo & Eleonora Costantini & Angelo Moro & Jacopo Stacci, 2022. "Case studies of automation in services," Working Papers hal-03899186, HAL.
    2. Cetrulo, Armanda & Cirillo, Valeria & Landini, Fabio, 2022. "Organized Labour and R&D: Evidence from Italy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1195, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Valeria Cirillo & José Molero Zayas, 2019. "Digitalizing industry? Labor, technology and work organization: an introduction to the Forum," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 46(3), pages 313-321, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Industry 4.0; trade unions; organisational change; corporatism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L23 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Organization of Production
    • L6 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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