Trade unions and CSR: a European research agenda

Abstract

There is much evidence that Corporate Social Responsibility has increasingly become embraced by industry in Europe. The transfer to Europe of what essentially is a concept embedded in American capitalism, however, results in some interesting contextualizations. One of the most interesting of these is the impact of CSR on one of the most powerful actors to determine the social responsibility of corporations in the European context, namely trade unions and their institutional infrastructure. In many cases unions perceive CSR as a threat, as it transfers yet more power and discretion to managers. By contrast, trade unions in countries with a strong corporatist tradition claim to be themselves drivers of CSR. An altogether different situation exists in Eastern Europe, where unions lack the legitimacy and influence to shape the emerging CSR agenda. Given such a spread of positions, what similarities and differences can be detected in union approaches to CSR? Which specific aspects of CSR are supported by European unions? How have European unions adapted their strategies in response to CSR? This article employs an institutional comparison perspective of selected European countries to explore the role unions play in CSR activities. It maps out the conceptual territory and provides one of the first overviews of the topic. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The rise of CSR: implications for HRM and employee representation

“…STARCAR occupies the middle ground, as CSR was initially fostered unilaterally by its CEO but the trade union soon challenged the HR department to turn the corporate CSR commitment into 'hard law'. In all the case companies unions have not seen CSR as a threat (but see Preuss et al 2006 andPreuss 2008, for contrasting findings). However, the consequences of the CSR activities for the internal bargaining power of workers' representatives differ in the three cases.…”

“…Bakan 2004). Many of our respondents indeed expressed concern regarding the voluntary nature of CSR initiatives that are pursued in their companies (see also Preuss et al 2006 andPreuss 2008). At STARCAR the works council was very eager not just to implement CSR policies but to integrate them into the usual regulatory framework of an agreement which transforms voluntary commitments of employers into a mandatory and codified right of employees.…”

Mapping the frontier of theory in industrial relations: the contested role of worker representation

“…These scholars have explored the institutional conditions for the emergence of CSR (Bartley, 2007;Carroll, 2008), crossnational variation in how CSR programs are perceived and implemented (Doh and Guay, 2006), the likelihood of socially responsible corporate behavior occurring (Campbell, 2007) or its effects on labor standards (Elliott and Freeman, 2003;Locke et al, 2007;Locke, 2013). This institutional perspective finds its roots within pluralism, considering CSR as one of the institutions potentially striving for social solidarity without neglecting the importance of other institutions, such as trade unions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), or the state (Bartley, 2003;Preuss et al, 2006;Compa, 2008). Building on Dunlop's systems' perspective, these scholars argue that sustained improvement in labor conditions in global supply chains requires complementary features of strong enforcement of law, independent worker representation and engagement of NGOs or other forms of independent worker representation.…”

Beyond Wages and Working Conditions: A Conceptualization of Labor Union Social Responsibility

“…As a result of these misgivings, some labor unions have concluded that CSR is simply another management system that will be used to undermine union stature and influence. They prefer a version of CSR that complements, but does not replace, legislation on economic and social rights and environmental standards and is more deferential to collective bargaining (Mather, 2006;Preuss et al, 2006).…”