ISS is the international Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam

ISS is the international Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam

Changes in the European labour market and trades union (TU) responses John Cameron & Freek Schiphorst ISS -International a Institute tute of Social Studies The Hague The Netherlands Presentation prepared p for the International Symposium on Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining in the Age of Globalisation 4 th Annual Conference of the Professional Committee on Labor & Work, Chinese Sociological Association Beijing, 21-22 July 2012.

Key facts and statistics on the state of the labour market and TUs in Western Europe (& OECD) today Based on the Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) database compiled by Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam www.uva-aias.net/208 Version 3.0, May 2011

Key facts and statistics on the state of the labour market and TUs in Western Europe (& OECD) today Four broad political 1. Denmark. Norway Finland, Sweden regimes: 1. social democratic economies 2. continental market economies 3. liberal market economies 4. Ex-dictatorships 2. Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland 3. Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, UK, USA 4. Greece, Portugal Spain

Key facts and statistics: social democratic economies Union coverage and union membership, social democratic economies, 1960 2010, Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 271

Key facts and statistics: continental market economies Union coverage and union membership, continental market economies, 1960 2010, Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 272

Key facts and statistics: liberal market economies Union coverage and union membership, liberal market economies, 1960 2010, Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 273

Key facts and statistics: liberal market economies Union coverage and union membership, ex- dictatorships, 1960 2010, Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 274

Changes in union membership, 1980 2007, Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 276

Changes in collective bargaining coverage, 1980 2007 Schmitt & Mitukiewicz 2012: 275

The moulding of the Western European labour market and the Trade Union movement, 1850-1950 The uneven making of a free labour market and its strongest expression in large scale industry employment with a tendency to relatively similar terms and conditions Range of political positions in the Trades Unions from support for social democratic political parties to Marxian influenced political parties discussions on workers control and socialist revolution TU leadership and Michel s iron law of oligarchy bureaucratic versus democratic tendencies Outcome: a labour market cycle with uneven economic gains and occasional political challenges usually resulting in defeats

Forces reproducing and challenging past behaviour 1950-1980 1950-1970 : the long capitalist boom and the consolidation of instrumentalist trades union attitudes comfortable politically with a welfare State 1970-1980: a period of confusion and TUs on the defensive seeking return to normal times through normal means, despite radical challenges from feminism, anti-imperialism, imperialism environmentalism Outcome: a generally conservative TU leadership and an unevenly radical shop stewards grass-roots roots

Neo-liberal political ideology and freeing the labour market economics, 1980-1995 TUs politically labelled as protecting a privileged labour elite in a segmented, imperfect labour market Increasing casualisation and loss of traditional membership as EU labour market and global economy changes Outcome: TU influence weakening under direct legislative and political attacks in pro-usa UK with stubborn, but fragile, resistance to moves from the social European model towards the neo-liberal Anglo-American model elsewhere in western Europe

An unhealthy boom 1995-2007 Movements towards one EU currency, one labour market under increasing German manufacturing dominance unsustainable, speculative restructuring elsewhere in EU Global relocations of economic activity away from the industrial working class in the EU Complex labour migration movements within the EU and dincreasing i obstacles to labour migration from outside the EU Outcome: some affluent workers but weakened TU movements needing new members and seeking greater political relevance in the debates on flexicurity, labour migration, and global decent work labour standards

An age of austerity 2007 to today Sovereign debt crises and the loss of jobs and services in the public sector Banks and large scale enterprises failing to finance long-term, full-time private sector employment creating investment Generational tensions long term unemployment, low income retirement, plus young adult unemployment Outcome: inter-union i cooperation on lobbying with one day strikes following ballots of members plus engagement with wider social movements in demonstrations

Lessons from history Strong path dependent d challenges in moving away from long duration, historical foundations in terms of ideal membership and supportive relationship with national formal politics, despite local radical initiatives in recruitment and political challenges Failures in predicting and meeting rapid labour market shifts over the last sixty years Difficulties in moving beyond the national level; e.g. on dealing with alternative capitalisms in Germany and UK Outcome: overall, TUs in western Europe can be seen as reactive rather than proactive labour market institutions, though strongly valued by a minority of workers