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How can trade unions act strategically?

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  • Hyman, Richard

Abstract

It is generally agreed that trade unions require new strategies to respond to external and internal challenges. Economic internationalisation makes it easier for employers to escape national structures of employment regulation, and appears to weaken the ability of governments to defend nationally-based social models; sectoral and occupational shifts in employment erode traditional union strongholds, while social and ideological changes undermine workers' traditional orientation to collectivism. Yet what do we mean by trade union strategy, and how can it be modernised? This article addresses in particular the literatures on organisational learning, social capital and vocabularies of motive to explore how the twin principles of leadership and democracy can be harnessed to meet the challenges of the ‘new’ capitalism.

Suggested Citation

  • Hyman, Richard, 2007. "How can trade unions act strategically?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 39803, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:39803
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/39803/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Bosch Gerhard & Schmitz Jutta & Haipeter Thomas & Spallek Anne-Christin, 2020. "Gestaltung von Industrie 4.0 durch gewerkschaftliche Betriebspolitik," Arbeit, De Gruyter, vol. 29(1), pages 3-23, March.
    4. Tom Hunt & Heather Connolly, 2023. "Covid‐19 and the work of trade unions: Adaptation, transition and renewal," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 150-166, March.
    5. Nissim, Gadi & Simon, Tomer, 2021. "The future of labor unions in the age of automation and at the dawn of AI," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    6. Christian Dufour & Adelheid Hege, 2010. "The legitimacy of collective actors and trade union renewal," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 351-367, August.
    7. Catherine Le Capitaine & Gregor Murray & Christian Lévesque, 2013. "Special Issue. Edited by: Gregor Murray, Christian Lévesque, Christian Dufour and Adelheid Hege," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 389-408, July.
    8. Andy Hodder & Paul Edwards, 2015. "The essence of trade unions: understanding identity, ideology and purpose," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 29(5), pages 843-854, October.
    9. Adam Mrozowicki & Valeria Pulignano & Geert Van Hootegem, 2010. "Worker agency and trade union renewal: the case of Poland," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 24(2), pages 221-240, June.
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    11. Martí López-Andreu, 2020. "Breaking Fragmentation through Mobilization: The Development of a Collective Identity during Movistar’s Contractors’ and Technicians’ Strike in Spain," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(4), pages 661-677, August.
    12. Steffen Lehndorff, 2015. "Acting in different worlds. Challenges to transnational trade union cooperation in the eurozone crisis," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 21(2), pages 157-170, May.
    13. Alex Pazaitis & Vasilis Kostakis & Michel Bauwens, 2017. "Digital economy and the rise of open cooperativism: the case of the Enspiral Network," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(2), pages 177-192, May.
    14. Santanu Sarkar & Sarosh Kuruvilla, 2020. "Constructing Transnational Solidarity: The Role of Campaign Governance," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(1), pages 27-49, March.
    15. Ruth Barton, 2021. "Trade unions and industrial regeneration in North West Tasmania: Moving beyond lock-in?," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(2), pages 332-348, March.
    16. Gregor Murray, 2017. "Union renewal: what can we learn from three decades of research?," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 23(1), pages 9-29, February.
    17. David Lewis & Wim Vandekerckhove, 2018. "Trade Unions and the Whistleblowing Process in the UK: An Opportunity for Strategic Expansion?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(4), pages 835-845, April.
    18. Hugo Dias, 2021. "The evolution of Portuguese trade unionism: Political economies and power resources," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 237-254, May.
    19. Peter Fairbrother, 2015. "Rethinking trade unionism: Union renewal as transition," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 26(4), pages 561-576, December.
    20. Christina Karakioulafi & Kostas Kanellopoulos & Janina Petelczyc & Tom Montgomery & Simone Baglioni, 2021. "Patterns of Labour Solidarity Towards Precarious Workers and the Unemployed in Critical Times in Greece, Poland, and the UK," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 26(3), pages 739-758, September.
    21. Richard Saundry & Mick McKeown, 2013. "Relational union organising in a healthcare setting: a qualitative study," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5-6), pages 533-547, November.
    22. Michele Ford & Michael Gillan, 2022. "Understanding global union repertoires of action," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(6), pages 559-577, November.
    23. Maria da Paz Campos Lima & Antonio Martín Artiles, 2011. "Crisis and trade union challenges in Portugal and Spain: between general strikes and social pacts," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 17(3), pages 387-402, August.
    24. Christian Lévesque & Gregor Murray, 2010. "Understanding union power: resources and capabilities for renewing union capacity," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 16(3), pages 333-350, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unions; strategy; organisational learning; democracy; social capital; utopia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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