Documents Roca, Beltran 3 results

"In a general context of union decline, radical trade unions are experiencing a moderate growth in contemporary Spain. This article examines the channels through which workers join radical unions. It applies social network analysis to the study of recruitment in 2012 by the local branch of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. It concludes that pre-existing social networks (co-workers, family and friends) are essential in trade union recruitment. Due to the rapid growth of the local branch and to the characteristics of this union, the findings of this case study can shed light on the general debate on union membership."

"This article analyses the strategy of major Spanish trade unions in the context of economic crisis through the theoretical framework of political exchange. It focuses on a frequently ignored dimension of political exchange, namely the relationship between union leaders and the rank-and-file, which, under certain circumstances, can lead to a crisis of representation. Based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews, this article explores the strategic behaviour of Spanish trade unions and their relationship with the so-called 15M movement. It concludes that the ambiguous strategy of the major unions can be explained, not only as a result of their effort to preserve their institutional power and their political influence in the public sphere, but also as a response to the emergence of the 15M movement, which has made these organizations confront the threat of a crisis of representation."

"This article analyses the strategies and the collective action of radical agrarian trade unions in Andalusia (the southern region of Spain) from the Political Transition until today. It traces the origins, evolution and recent transformations of the radical day labourer organisation, the Land Workers Union (Sindicato de Obreros del Campo) and the Andalusian Union of Workers (Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores). The article outlines the main factors for the survival of these organisations by using a synthetic and eclectic theoretical approach to collective action."