Trif, Aurora and Paolucci, Valentina and Kahancová, Marta and Koukiadaki, Aristea (2021) Power resources and successful trade union actions that address precarity in adverse contexts: The case of Central and Eastern Europe. Human Relations. ISSN 0018-7267

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Abstract

Is it possible for trade unions to fight precarity in an adverse global context? Although existing research suggests this is possible, there is limited understanding of the interplay of resources that enable unions to address precarity in deregulated markets. This study employs a power resource approach to investigate how unions overcome their external constraints. It draws upon 130 in-depth interviews with key informants across nine Central and Eastern European countries to investigate successful and unsuccessful union actions in sectors with differing external resources. In each sector, unions that mobilise their internal resources have been able to reduce various precarity dimensions, such as low wages, lack of voice, and irregular working time. The results reveal that unions whose objectives are based on convincing win–win discourses can make strides, acting as drivers of change in precarity patterns even in unfavourable conditions. Moreover, the study introduces a multi-dimensional conceptualisation of union success, identifying union actions that result in measurable improvements in precarity dimensions for all worker types. To deepen understanding of the role unions play in fighting precarity in adverse contexts, future research could investigate union actions that improve a wider range of precarity dimensions for all workers.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). Cite as: Trif A, Paolucci V, Kahancová M, Koukiadaki A. Power resources and successful trade union actions that address precarity in adverse contexts: The case of Central and Eastern Europe. Human Relations. May 2021. doi:10.1177/00187267211020189
Keywords:	associational power; construction; Eastern Europe; healthcare; institutions; metal sector; power resources; precarious work; retail; trade unions;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business
Item ID:	15616
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267211020189
Depositing User:	Valentina Paolucci
Date Deposited:	03 Mar 2022 14:43
Journal or Publication Title:	Human Relations
Publisher:	Sage Publications
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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