Cycles of labour protests: public and private sector unions' contentious actions

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the cycle of labour protests in Sweden, comparing the contentious actions of trade unions in public and private sectors over 40 years. Prior studies have focused on industrial conflicts or labour protests, but a long-term perspective on the broad protest repertoire across sectors is lacking. The goal is to test the argument of diversification of action repertoire and differences between the public and private sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply the grievance and political opportunity theories of social movement research for explaining the cycles of labour protests and differences between sectors in Sweden over 40 years (1980–2020). The unique protest event data are combined with the official strike statistics. The research period includes the globalisation of the economy and two economic crises.FindingsAlthough unions in both sectors have decreased protest mobilisation over time, private sector unions have resigned the most, whereas public sector unions continue to mobilise a diverse set of protest actions. Swedish unions have not replaced strikes with other protest repertoires. The open opportunities have allowed them to use various protests as part of “routine” operations.Research limitations/implicationsProtest event data are derived from newspapers, leading to an over-representation of large events in the urban areas. Future studies should combine data from newspapers with data about online protests.Originality/valueBy thoroughly examining all protest events mobilised by all trade unions in different sectors over 40 years (1980–2020), the paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the cycles of labour protest. The findings should interest industrial relations and social movement scholars.

From plaster casts to picket lines: Public support for industrial action in the National Health Service in England

“…Workers aim through unions to exert pressure on their employers-in this case, the government-to produce more favourable terms of employment. However, the government, representing taxpayers, must also balance fiscal responsibilities, raising questions about the ethical factors involved in public sector strikes (Jansson & Uba, 2023).…”

“…A strike is often seen as a last resort, an action taken when negotiations have failed. If the public perceives that workers are striking for just reasons-such as demanding fair wages, protesting unsafe conditions or advocating for better quality of services-this can translate into social and political pressure on the employer to negotiate in good faith (Jansson & Uba, 2023). This can have significant effects: in the United States, a positive effect has been found of strikes on mass attitudes towards organised labour up to a year after the strikes occurred (Hertel-Fernandez et al, 2021).…”

“…Given the importance of the public sector in modern welfare states, strikes by public sector workers tend to evoke a different set of reactions to those by workers in the private sector (Hall & Soskice, 2001; Jansson & Uba, 2023; Kelloway et al, 2008) As public sector workers often provide essential services such as healthcare, education and public transport, their decision to go on strike can have widespread societal ramifications, even if someone is not directly involved in the action. The primary motivating factors for strike action in the public sector are wages, working conditions and benefits.…”

Estimating public and private sectors' union wage effects in Ghana: is there a disparity?

“…, 2018), other studies find a contrary result (Moore and Raisian, 1987; Bitzan, 2010). This result could be attributed to the reason that public sector unions are more capable of mobilizing for protests/strikes than private sector unions (Jansson and Uba, 2023). On the contrary, Amankwaah (2023) finds that public sector unions in Ghana, particularly University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), find it difficult to mobilize their members for effective negotiations.…”

“…The results of such studies are inconclusive; whilst some of the studies find positive wage premium associated with unionism in the public sector and even higher than that of the private sector (Blanchflower and Bryson, 2007;Card et al, 2018), other studies find a contrary result (Moore and Raisian, 1987;Bitzan, 2010). This result could be attributed to the reason that public sector unions are more capable of mobilizing for protests/ strikes than private sector unions (Jansson and Uba, 2023). On the contrary, Amankwaah (2023) finds that public sector unions in Ghana, particularly University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), find it difficult to mobilize their members for effective negotiations.…”