Organizing training for union renewal: A case study analysis of the European Union steel industry

Abstract

The central proposition of this article is that trade union involvement in training is essential to ensure that workers are in a position to adapt readily to changing circumstances and bargain from a strong position. The context in which this proposition is advanced is with reference to the restructuring of the EU steel industry. The argument has two dimensions. First, trade unions need to engage with training and workplace learning in more direct and involved ways than allowed for by current partnership arrangements. This involvement is to protect workers’ interests, promote worker development and to develop jobs as decent jobs. Second, such engagement requires that unions consider their organizational capacities in two respects, within national contexts and across borders. The article employs evidence from ongoing steel industry focused research, which includes observations from the EU Steel Sector Social Dialogue Committee and its steering group on Workforce Development, Recruitment and Retention.