Transnational trade union strategies towards European wage policy: A neo-institutional framework

Abstract

This article applies sociological neo-institutionalism to help understand transnational trade union wage policy. We review existing approaches to the role of trade unions as organizational actors in wage bargaining coordination and contrast these with the concepts of organizational fields and institutional work. Besides structural and associational power, transnational institutions are also able to increase the ability and willingness of unions to act transnationally. We draw empirical evidences from existing studies on European wage bargaining coordination in metalworking.

Cultural Obstacles in Transnational Trade Union Cooperation in Europe

“…That is, studies of European trade union organizations and social dialogues show that not only trade union ideologies but also values, identities, expectations, and language may both facilitate and hinder cooperation (Ciampiani & Tilly 2017;Gumbrell-McCormick & Hyman 2013: 172ff. ;Larsson 2012;Pernicka & Glassner 2014). In addition, research on European Works Councils (EWCs) has found that linguistic skills, identity, and national and organizational rootedness and expectations may create problems for cooperation (Hann et al 2017;Stirling & Tully 2004;Whittall et al 2007).…”

“…However, with some exceptions (e.g., Barbier 2013: 65ff. ;Black 2005;Klemm & Weyand 2009;Klemm et al 2011;Pernicka & Glassner 2014), the cultural element is seldom explicitly theorized or focused on in studies of comparative industrial relations and transnational trade union cooperation. Meardi (2011: 336) notes that cultural factors are often used as 'emergency' variables that account for the 'unexplained residua' of other explanations (cf.…”

“…This is unfortunate if Barbier is correct in claiming that 'national boundaries and cultural diversity are the fundamental reasons for the limited extension of solidarity in Europe' (Barbier 2013: 65). Of course, shared identities and norms do exist (Pernicka & Glassner 2014), as do solidarity actions on the European level, but as shown by Gajewska (2009: 145) trade unions from different countries often understand and 'frame' the issues differently, and their interpretation 'is contingent on the ideological profile of the trade union'.…”

Widening the lens: a structuration theory perspective on European works councils and transnational labour relations

“…By doing so, the study echoes recent approaches in transnational industrial relations and governance to take the multilevel perspective more serious (Keune and Marginson, ; Köhler and Gonzáles Begega, ) or to acknowledge the web of transnational institutions that affects the field of global employment relations (Dehnen and Pries, ). Furthermore, it builds on recent EWC research that highlights the role of informal relations, networks or identity (Whittall et al ., ; Martínez Lucio, ; Pulignano, ), and on concepts that emphasise the role of agency in constructing or disrupting labour institutions (Pernicka and Glassner, ). It is argued here that different concepts can be applied to EWCs: they can be perceived either as ‘collectives’ that posses an ‘actor's quality’; as networks, platforms or arenas that accommodate interactions between individuals or groups; but also as structures (in the sense of Giddens), as they provide meaning, interpretative frames and norms as well as power resources for actors to seize upon and to activate in processes of bargaining that take place on different levels.…”

Does the Prosperity Level of States Affect Participation in Trade Unions? A Quantitative Research

“…At least at EU level there is a lack of transnational cooperation for the implementation of a minimum level in European wages. This claim is rather an attempt of cooperation between trade unions thana European policy (Pernicka & Glassner, 2014).…”