Moldovan employment relations: “path dependency”?

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the theory that trade unions' functions in a transitional economy are characterised by “path dependency”.Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on case studies of employment relations in enterprises operating in Moldova. The approach is realist (critical materialism). An ethnographic approach is taken to analysing social relations in three locally and foreign‐owned companies in the clothing sector. The case studies explore union responses to managerially driven re‐structuring.Findings – The research established that these forms of trade unionism exhibit considerable heterogeneity within continued commitment to their welfare functions. This may indicate that the “integrating collectivist” form does not presage a new “path” for Moldovan trade unionism but does demonstrate the bounded diversity within the existing paradigm.Research limitations/implications – The research studies the unionised sector. Future research might look into non‐unionised Greenfield sit...