Ten Years of Unionization in Italy (1977‐1986)

Abstract

Absfracf. This paper is an analysis of unionization in Italy between 1977 and 1986, with particular reference to the evolution of the three major Italian trade union confederations: the CGIL (Confederazione Generale ltaliana del Lavoro), with a communist majority and socialist minority; the CISL (Confederazione ltaliana Sindacati Lavoratori), originally linked to the Christian Democrat party, but increasingly autonomous and politically pluralistic; and the UIL (Unione Italiana del Lavoro). with a socialist majority and strong social democrat and republican minorities.After a brief review of earlier studies on the subject, the author traces (for the first time since the seventies) the changes that have taken place in union representation at the sectoral and territorial levels, basing his findings on new classification and methodological criteria.The four principal results that emerge from this study are: a) the overall maintenance of union membership levels over the decade, due to a sharp drop in membership among wage and salary-earners and a parallel increase among pensioners; b) the considerable decrease of unionization rates, especially in the more industrialized north; c) the limited membership in the services sector, where employment growth is strongest; d) the marked redistribution of each confederation's relative weight, to the benefit of the UIL.Based on this, the author concludes by suggesting that the uneven influence of the economic cycle on unionization at both sectoral and territorial levels, can be explained by the continuing existence of a variety of representation models.

The Composition of Union Membership: The Role of Pensioners in Italy

“…In particular, a striking change in the structure of union membership, with a remarkable increase in the number of pensioners and a signi®cant rise in membership in the southern regions, has been observed (see e.g. Santi 1988;CESOS 1995 andMerolla 1996).…”

“…However, the inclination to belong to an association, based on the need for identity and participation, may be felt by individuals who ®nd themselves excluded from employment, and this fact could account for a component of pensioners' membership (e.g. Santi 1988). This idea relates to the social custom model of trade union membership proposed by Booth (1985): within elderly communities, the unions' utility function for pensioners may be assumed to depend on reputation.…”

Industrial Relations in Western Europe: An Era of Ambiguity?

“…The "successful" union movements have in most cases been sustained by their formal role in the administration of statutory unemployment and other social welfare benefits. In many countries-Italy provides perhaps the most striking example (Santi, 1988)-a large rise in the number of retired trade union members has masked a sharp decline in membership among employees. Nevertheless, it would be difficult to suggest that in western Europe generally there has been a substantial decline in unioniza-I have confronted some aspects of this debate in greater detail in Hyman (1991).…”