Local Trade Unions Research Articles

The role of trade unions in ensuring job security for workers in Vietnam

This study examines the role of trade unions in safeguarding job security for workers in Vietnam today. A qualitative approach was used, including in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. The researchers conducted interviews with 50 local trade union officials to gain insights into their efforts to protect workers’ employment. Additionally, case studies were used to understand the strategies trade unions apply to secure workers' jobs. Trade unions are essential in promoting job security by recommending policies to employers and supporting workers in maintaining job stability, enhancing productivity, and protecting fair wages. However, trade unions have not fully succeeded in encouraging workers to improve skills to reduce the risk of job obsolescence. Based on these findings, the authors suggest solutions to strengthen the union’s role in job security, providing both evidence of the current state of trade unions and recommendations to enhance their role in protecting job security in Vietnam.

“Tax Amazon, Not Working People”: Left Populism and Labor Organizing in Seattle

Abstract This paper examines the role of labor and community left populist organizing in the Tax Amazon campaign based in Seattle, WA, USA. As a case study within a larger project that examines manifestations of both right-wing and left-wing populism in urban spaces, the paper presents a lens through which urban populism may be examined in relation to new forms of labor organizing, with a specific focus on the dynamics of left populist resistance. The Tax Amazon campaign is situated within a longer trajectory of contemporary left populist organizing in Seattle. Emerging from a previous campaign that resulted in Seattle City Council instituting a $15 minimum wage, the Tax Amazon campaign brought together labor and community organizations to pressure Seattle City Council to introduce a corporate tax to generate funding for affordable housing initiatives. The campaign was met with resistance from the local business community, as well as some local trade unions. Being a leading corporate figure in this opposition, Amazon emerged as a key target of the left populist campaign. Through this study, we ask, what role did labor-community coalitions play in shaping the emergence of a broader left populist politics at the municipal scale in Seattle? Building from the experience of the Tax Amazon campaign, the paper reflects on the dynamics of resistance to corporate power through labor- and community-based left populist organizing. Reflecting a shift in U.S. politics at the municipal scale, Seattle offers a key case through which to assess whether and how urban populism may give rise to new forms of labor organizing. The paper also considers the ways in which the simultaneity of the Tax Amazon campaign and the Movement for Black Lives to ‘Defund the Police’ expanded the scope of political demands in the context of Seattle’s racialized urban precarity. In its conclusion, the paper draws from the analysis to reflect on both the broader prospects and limitations of left populist organising.

Navigating organizational change: sequential vs simultaneous approaches to innovation management in modern enterprises

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationship between innovation and strategic management in contemporary enterprises, emphasizing the navigation of organizational change for sustainable competitive advantage. This study addresses the challenge of adapting to dynamic environments and the critical role of leadership, organizational culture and collaboration in successful innovation management.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used the typology research design and comparative analysis to explore the principles and strategies underlying different innovation approaches. This study examines their impact on organizational structures, resource allocation and the integration of technological advancements with managerial practices.FindingsThe authors developed a typology of two innovation management models. The sequential approach emphasizes phased and incremental innovation, while the simultaneous approach advocates for dynamic and comprehensive integration of innovation across the organization. Each model presents distinct advantages and challenges, underscoring the need for a tailored approach based on the enterprise’s context and objectives. Mature companies may benefit from the sequential approach to gradually evolve their innovation, while new and high-tech-intensive companies can leverage the simultaneous approach for dynamic and continuous innovation.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should examine local bodies and trade unions’ perception on the energy crisis’ impact toward rural entrepreneurship.Practical implicationsThe findings are useful to Greek and European policymakers and rural micro-entrepreneurs as the experience of dealing with several previous crises can be a useful tool when dealing with current and future crises.Originality/valueThis study enhances understanding of the complex interplay between organizational innovation and strategy. The authors recommend further exploration of emerging technologies, cultural values, collaboration, sustainable practices and changing customer behavior to boost innovation capabilities and achieve success.

Resilience of rural micro-businesses in an adverse entrepreneurial environment: adapting to the energy crisis

PurposeThis study aims to examine the potential adaptability and resilience of rural micro-businesses within a business environment affected by successive crises, specifically drawing conclusions on crisis management, while simultaneously highlighting enterprises’ capabilities in managing the current energy crisis, basis the experiences and best practices that they themselves have gained previously.Design/methodology/approachConvenience sampling was applied, effectively identifying 18 micro-entrepreneurs in rural Greece. Subsequently, qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured in-depth interviews.FindingsRural micro-businesses have shown adaptability and resilience to both economic and health crises through financial support received and interventions implemented. However, different crises’ types carry different business risks. The energy crisis has led to business operation’s energy costs and raw material prices multiplying exponentially. Additionally, they received limited financial support causing them to respond to the energy crisis though concrete defensive strategies and innovative interventions.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should examine local bodies and trade unions’ perception on the energy crisis’ impact towards rural entrepreneurship.Practical implicationsThe findings are useful to Greek and European policy-makers and rural micro-entrepreneurs as the experience of dealing with several previous crises can be a useful tool when dealing with current and future crises.Originality/valueThis paper adds to international literature on rural micro-businesses resilience, operating in crisis mode. Additionally, it constitutes novel research exclusively focused on the new challenges faced by rural micro-businesses during the recent energy crisis.

Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School Vocational Education and Training: A Review of the Research in Sweden

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new perspectives on VET curriculum in policy and practice. Questions regarding key themes and the interplay of discourses and processes across multiple sites in the education system have not been addressed in previous systematic reviews of Swedish VET research. Methods: The methodological approach in the present paper is a qualitative systematic research review with an integrative and interpretative purpose and research design. The qualitative review is based on the conceptual model of curriculum making as social practice, seeking to capture the inherent complexity and porous boundaries of education systems and movements of ideas, discourses and actors between sites of activity. The model is used for mapping the research, and a content analysis for identifying main themes and emphases and exploring and discussing the potential gaps that may inform future international research studies. Findings: The results show that the research is focused on the micro and nano sites of curriculum making, with connections to macro site activities of national curriculum policy enactment. Research focusing on the macro site of activity has an emphasis on national policy and policymaking regarding the relationship between academic and vocational knowledge/programmes and apprenticeship and employability. In the micro and nano sites of activity – which comprise the majority of the research – the main themes are vocational knowing and identity, teaching, learning and assessment practices and work-based learning. Conclusion: An observation is the absence of principals and middle leaders as actors and informants in the studies. There is little evidence of actors moving between sites of activity and the meso site of activity only comprise a very small part of the research. In this respect, there is a potential gap to be explored, not least regarding how local curricula and syllabi are made and shaped in terms of the influence of representatives from local authorities, companies, trade unions, employer associations, universities and regional agencies. Curriculum making as social practice has the potential to be used for comparative international studies and as a framework that takes national differences in VET education systems into account.

Taylorism, Worker Resistance, and Industrial Relations in Sweden

AbstractThis article explores the influence of worker resistance to Taylorism on industrial relations in Sweden. By analysing archival material from workers at the Separator Corporate Group, the Metal Workers’ Union, and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, this article highlights the interplay between shop floor activism, discussions within trade unions, and central labour market relations. It demonstrates how rank-and-file activism compelled union leadership and the central labour market organizations to adopt a series of agreements in the 1940s aimed at addressing worker resistance to Taylorism.Despite worker discontent, scientific management spread during the 1930s and 1940s. This eventually contributed to the Metal Strike of 1945, which had significant impact on labour–capital relations. According to the metal workers, scientific management, particularly time-motion studies, reduced their bargaining power by concealing labour processes and methods for wage determination, thereby allowing management a monopoly on knowledge.Following the strike, negotiations between the Trade Union Confederation and the Swedish Employers’ Association resulted in the 1948 Work Studies Agreement. This agreement provided a platform for resolving conflicts and encouraging workers’ support of rationalization via the Work Studies Council. Worker resistance consequently drove Swedish labour market centralization, inadvertently promoting closer labour–capital cooperation.This article argues, among other things, that although worker resistance failed to upend scientific management, it resulted in it being regulated within a corporatist framework. This highlights the important historical role local trade union activism has played in shaping labour market institutions and the broader political economy.

“A phobia of numbers?” the labour movement and social surveys in the German Empire

ABSTRACT Historians have long studied how statistical offices and parliamentary bodies made use of surveys to explore the lives of workers, and, in so doing, how they produced new social categories and strategies for political intervention in the process. Less attention has been paid to the role that surveys played in the history of the early labour movement. Drawing on extensive discussions in socialist and trade-union periodicals, this article explores how the labour movement in the German Empire perceived, responded to, and used social surveys. The article is divided into three parts. The first part discusses labour’s critical response to the growing number of surveys on working-class life by middle-class reformers, social researchers, and the state. The second part studies what appeared to be the only logical consequence of their critique, namely the independent gathering and analysis of data. The third part finally analyses why, despite the large number of independent surveys launched by party functionaries and local trade unions, participation among ordinary workers remained strikingly low. In the conclusion, the article shows that this might have stemmed not only from disinterest and inertia but also from how the labour leadership conceived of and presented the benefits of social surveys.

The Right of Access to Public Information: Human Rights Issues, Transparency and Good Governance

The right of access to information is based on both Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantee everyone the right and freedom “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas” by any means of their choice. Article 24 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) guarantees the right to information in the following terms: “everyone has the right to information”. The effective manifestation of this right to information remains closely linked to the exercise of freedom of expression and opinion on any subject of public interest and its inevitable corollary, freedom of information. The effectiveness of the right to information also depends on citizens' participation in the nation's public life. A population well-informed by its government can fight against fake news and the spread of false rumors while promoting the fight against corruption and good governance. Accessing public information is one of the most important conditions for assessing the democratic management and openness of society to citizen participation. As an inalienable right, access to information is the foundation of a free, democratic and transparent society. The research was based on the legal approach and the comparative method. The former allowed the subject to be approached by grasping the quintessence of the various existing legal standards. The latter helped to compare the various internal and extra-internal legal instruments based on comparative law, particularly French law. This analysis also used the documentary technique and the free interview in the form of a chat with ordinary citizens or any other personality (civil society groups, journalists, entrepreneurs, national and local elected representatives, other professional, political and trade union groups, and civil servants).

The role of local stakeholders in transforming economic upgrading into social upgrading in Ethiopian textile and garment firms

The authors examine the links between economic and social upgrading in a developing country with stringent industry policy and employment legislation, focusing on the strategies of local firms participating in global apparel production networks. Based on the 2015 case studies of five textile and garment firms in Ethiopia, they find that employment security and physical well‐being were driven mainly by government labour regulations negotiated by local employers, workers and trade unions rather than by global buyers and conclude that upgrading and downgrading can occur simultaneously within a firm.

Reaching into the Community to Interpret Labor History

Reaching into the Community to Interpret Labor History

Economic and Cultural Adaptation of the Rehabilitated Peoples of the North Caucasus in their Former Places of Residence

The article examines measures aimed at the economic and cultural adaptation of the repatriated North Caucasian peoples, which followed the well-known Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 28 and July 16, 1956 on the removing restrictions on the special settlements of deported peoples, although without the right to return to their places of former residence. The measures taken by the state authorities aimed at legitimizing the spontaneous resettlement of representatives of the North Caucasian peoples from the places of special settlements are considered. Issues related to rehabilitation have repeatedly attracted the attention of Russian researchers, however, in their writings, much attention is paid to the fate of special settlers, but not to the state, which acted as a regulator of the process of rehabilitation and territorial reintegration of the North Caucasian peoples. This process expressed in the unification of titular groups within the national republics. Along with social actions, economic measures are being taken to support new territorial entities through the construction of industrial and household infrastructure facilities. The state paid great attention to public education, as well as to the training of the national intelligentsia from the representatives of the returned population. In the interests of further democratization and strengthening the role of working people in the political and economic life of the country, the work of local soviets, trade unions and other public organizations was reorganized, which included representatives of the rehabilitated peoples on an equal basis. The restoration of the economic potential in the foothill and mountainous regions of the KBASSR, KChASSR and ChIASSR, carried out at the expense of the federal budget, allows us to conclude that the state was interested in the speedy fulfillment of its obligations to the affected North Caucasian peoples. Of course, not all issues were resolved on time, but the beginning of the process of correcting mistakes made earlier by the state indicates a positive trend towards the democratization of the USSR.

Transitioning unions: what constitutes a just transition for Swedish trade unions?

Abstract The inclusion of ‘just transition’ in the Paris Agreement in 2015 has inspired subsequent attempts, and hopes, to bridge jobs versus climate divide in attempts to decarbonize industrial society. But what are the imperatives for a just tr[ansition of the workforce? And what are the nationally defined development priorities for the creation of decent work and quality jobs? Through interviews with Swedish trade union representatives from Sweden’s three largest industrial emitters (steel, petroleum refining, cement) along with representatives at the central level, this study illustrates contrasting interpretations of what constitutes a just transition. The main tensions concern the time a climate transition is allowed to take; if policies should support local inhabitants or global concerns over climate change; why allegiances are limited to the industrial town or encompass a wider trade union movement; and whether national politics or European coordination is what makes a transition ‘just’. While central levels of Swedish trade unions understand just transition in international and intergenerational terms, local level trade unions advocate for an emplaced understanding of just transition. Given the risk of growing conflicts between different segments of trade unions over the issue of climate transition policies, a progressive alliance between the labour- and climate movements is improbable as matters stand at present.

Enforcing rules regulating the use of temporary positions in Norway: A matter of exit, voice or silence?

Companies’ access to temporary workers is an important aspect of the functioning of labour markets. The strictness of regulations is not determined by the regulations alone, but also how these are enforced. Thus, knowledge on why some employees take action while others do not is important to understand the functioning of these regulations. We analyse temporary workers’ experiences and perceptions related to enforcement in the Norwegian labour market by distinguishing between ‘exit’, ‘voice’ and ‘silence’. Where enforcement is left to the temporary employee, as in Norway, enforcement may be difficult due to the limited power of the employee vis-a-vis the employer. Trade unions may, however, increase this power and in this study the role of local trade union representatives in enforcement is included. Taking the comprehensive Norwegian model of trade unions’ support into account, this case can be seen as a robust case for understanding the process of enforcement.

Timing of environmental technological choice and trade unions' climate solidarity

We consider a Cournot duopoly consisting of two geographically separated firms, each associated with a local environmental-friendly trade union that exhibits climate solidarity. In the basic model, firms choose abatement technologies prior to bargaining over wages and employment with the unions. We show that wage demanded is decreasing as the union's degree of climate solidarity increases, providing additional incentives for firms to adopt greener technology, hence improving the social welfare. In the alternative model, where trade unions decide the wages prior to the firms' abatement and employment decisions, the firms choose the dirtiest available technology implying that the union's climate solidarity has no effect on the firm's abatement decisions. These results suggest that establishing climate solidarity as a norm across trade unions can, depending on the timing of the environmental technological choice, become a powerful instrument in battling climate change, critically supplementing the as yet ineffective international policy framework.

Global Gender Equality Norm and Trade Unions in Turkey: Local Contestations, Rival Validations, and Discrepant Receptions

Gender equality is a global norm, and the existing norm mechanisms attribute to trade unions globally a stakeholder position in norm diffusion and promotion. This is well-articulated in the official documents and the institutions within the United Nations (UN) equality regime that collaborates with both the local and the international unions accordingly. Complementarily, local trade unions collaborate with the UN bodies and international trade unions in the diffusion of gender equality to their localities. Nevertheless, this multi-layered process is disrupted by local contestations, with bold consequences for the proper functioning of the equality norms. This paper is a scrutiny on the practice of the contestation on and the interruption of the functioning of the gender equality norm, with a particular focus on trade unions in Turkey. In the country, despite that trade unions have been well-integrated into the global gender regime and mechanisms; therefore, despite the existence of an uninterrupted norm flow regarding gender equality to the labour space, the trade unions offer competing interpretations, driven by their differing and even conflicting politico-cultural positioning. Within the paper, this process of interruption and its consequences for the broader functioning of the norm within the country have been thoroughly elaborated. Regarding the source of data in the research, we conducted semi-structured interviews with the union representatives, and we also extensively used the unions’ own publications and documentations.

Do participation structures affect workers’ voice?

Employees’ democratic right to participate is a core element of Nordic labour market models exercised both through representative and indirect participation as well as individual and direct participation. This article analyses representative participation and whether the form it takes matters: Is local trade union representatives’ assessment of influence at company level dependent on whether meetings with management are formal or informal? The question is important because institutional arrangements are on the decline in several European countries. Weaker trade unions and trade union representatives, due to falling unionisation rates, could affect strategic decisions by management when it comes to inviting trade union representatives into decision-making forums. Furthermore, individual-oriented management concepts may be strengthening this trend, in turn challenging the Nordic labour market models at company level. These issues are addressed through power resource perspectives by examining how such resources affect local trade union representatives’ capacity to influence decisions.

Far-Right Local Governments and Civil Society: Findings from France and Italy

The rise of far-right parties across Europe and their entrance into government at the local, if not regional or national, levels pose challenges for established civil society actors. This article draws on early findings from an ongoing research project in order to present two case studies of far-right local governments in small industrial towns in France and Italy: Hayange and Sant’Agata Bolognese. Keying in on these local administrations’ approaches to civil society and drawing on semi-structured interviews with local politicians and trade union actors, the article identifies preliminary patterns in far-right local government relations with civil society organizations (including trade unions), including a bypassing or outright attacking of established associations deemed hostile (especially left-wing ones) in favor of those deemed politically more palatable. This exclusionary and partisan approach to civil society notably coexists alongside other aspects of far-right local governance centered on a performatively enacted claim to serve the entire community, most notably with the highly visible provision of non-excludable public goods such as public fountains and rotaries. These considerations provide a basis for ongoing and future work on far-right interventions in different areas of civil society, in different countries, and in light of a broader spectrum of actor perspectives.

Can labor-standards advocacy by transnational civil society organizations interact with the power of labor to improve labor standards in global supply chains? A case study of the Cambodian garment industry

Recent research shows that the focus of labor-standards advocacy by transnational civil society organizations (CSOs) has shifted to building the organizational capacity of workers’ organizations in developing countries, suggesting cooperation between transnational CSOs and local trade unions potentially improving working conditions in global supply chains. However, scant attention has been paid to how the two actors interact in practice. Based on fieldwork in Cambodia, including in-depth interviews with garment sector stakeholders, this article examines the interaction between transnational CSOs and trade unions in improving working conditions in the garment industry. The data analysis shows that transnational CSOs and trade unions have distinct comparative advantages in improving working conditions. Rather than the conflicting relationship between CSOs and trade unions as suggested in the literature, this article demonstrates a complementary relationship between the two, indicating the significance of the cooperation between these actors in improving working conditions within global supply chains.

Repressions and Emancipations of Socialist Legality: Industrial Comrades’ Courts during First Five-Year Plans

This article examines two simultaneous and contradictory aspects of socialist legality: its repression and emancipation. The author investigates one particular institution of socialist legality—comrades’ courts in the workplace—in order to discover the interweaving of these two functions of Soviet justice. The article argues that the flexibility of socialist legality is one of its basic and defining features, which could provide an emancipatory space of struggle for rights and criticism of the system, on one hand, and a purely repressive, restrictive effect, on the other. It was not the actual legislation that determined the functioning of legality but the interaction of that legislation with the environment, which often subordinated not only the a priori broad procedures of Soviet law but also the essence of the law, which was exposed to interpretations. The author demonstrates that the operation of comrades’ courts depended on many factors: the authority and independence of the local Communist Party and trade union cells; the presence of activists; the industrial environment of interaction; the interests of the courts’ organizers; government campaigns; and so on. In practice, comrades’ courts as one of the loci of socialist legality accommodated a wide range of their own autonomous tactics, among which one can detect bureaucratic (abundance of fines, existence of particular courts only on paper), repressive (control over disciplining of and providing for workers), and emancipatory (protection of honor and dignity in the workplace, criticism of administration, struggle for better working conditions through drawing attention to disorder in the organization). Such broad contexts and interpretations available in comrades’ courts demonstrate the broad scope of socialist legality, the realization of which in each individual case depended on the context and occurred in its own unique way. Article in Russian

Two forms of transnational organizing: Mapping the strategies of Global Union Federations

It has become a commonplace belief among academics and trade union officials that globalization has weakened trade unions. However, the expansion of global capital has also led to a rise of transnational labor organizing. Since the 2000s, Global Union Federations have developed different strategies to tackle the challenges of globalization. In this article, we analyze two such forms of transnational organizing: A network-based and an event-based form of organizing. While the network-based approach brings together unions from different countries in a company or industry-wide cross-border network, the event-based strategy is built on the engagement of the GUFs at large international events to wage local struggles with a lasting impact on labor relations. By drawing on a power resource approach and labor geography and by using empirical data from two case studies, the Building and Woodworkers International’s Fifa World Cup campaign of 2014 and the International Transport Workers Union’s Latam Union network, we demonstrate how GUFs are using different pathways of transnational activism to link the global with the local and why local trade union action is crucial for success in transnational organizing.