Documents Thomas, Adrien 12 results

"This contribution aims to provide a better understanding of trade unions' engagement with climate change policies. It analyses the interactions between intra- and interorganizational bargaining, taking steel trade unions' engagement with the 2018 revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as a case study. The contribution finds that interorganizational bargaining with employers' organizations strongly influenced the formulation of trade unions' negotiating positions on the EU ETS. This is mainly due to the combination of three factors: the scope EU multilevel decision-making offers each level of trade union action to pursue its interests; trade unions' lack of expertise on climate policies; and the tradition of concession bargaining in the manufacturing industry. By underlining the difficulties faced by trade unions in developing an independent course of action on the EU ETS, the contribution expands our knowledge of the socio-political obstacles to implementing effective emissions reduction policies."

"Given the traditional commitment of trade unions to occupational health and safety standards, unions might have been expected to be strongly involved in containing the Covid-19 pandemic. This article focuses on their policy positions at national and sectoral level towards the occupational health and safety measures taken to limit the spread of Covid-19 in Germany, France and Luxembourg from the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 until the surging fourth wave of infections in November–December 2021. The authors' data show that unions have found it increasingly difficult over the course of the pandemic to develop policy positions in the domain of occupational health and safety that address the variegated situations and needs of their different member groups and that achieve a balance between membership logics and public health considerations."

"Approaches to union ‘renewal' or ‘revitalization' developed in the USA have influenced debates in other countries on responses to the loss of membership. The ‘organizing model' was first disseminated to other Anglophone countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) but was subsequently discussed and adopted in a number of continental European countries. This article analyses the transnational circulation of the organizing approach, focusing on its reception in Germany and France and examining the actors and channels of circulation, before exploring the extent to which the ‘organizing model' has been received, reformulated and adopted."

"This article focuses on recent changes in internal trade union organizational practices in France and Germany, drawing on interviews and internal union documents. Whereas the union renewal literature has emphasized the introduction of elements from the action repertoire of social movements into trade unions, this article finds that union officials and leaders are also transferring private sector managerial rhetoric and practices into trade unions. The extent and dynamics of this process termed ‘managerialization' are discussed, as well as its effects on role definitions of union leaders, officials and members, comparing two trade unions: in France the Fédération Chimie Energie and in Germany the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft. The resulting tensions between trade unionism's administrative and representative rationalities are highlighted. "

"This article discusses the shifting boundaries of inclusion and exclusion of migrant workers in trade unions. Drawing on the example of Luxembourg, an EU Member State with a long history of international migrations, the article examines the relationship between free movement of labour and the unionization of migrant workers before analysing the degree to which migrant workers' access to social rights is accompanied by their access to effective decision‐making rights in trade unions. Trade unions have used European regulations on the free movement of labour as a legal infrastructure to develop services for migrant workers. At the same time, the free movement of labour and equality of treatment have come to permeate trade union strategies and rhetoric. However, with regard to the inclusion of migrant workers in decision‐making processes and access to leadership positions, numerous obstacles to effective participation by migrant workers persist."

"L'article a pour objectif de mieux comprendre les conditions et enjeux de la professionnalisation syndicale. À partir de l'exemple de la Fédération Chimie‑Énergie de la Confédération française démocratique du travail (FCE‑CFDT), l'enquête qualitative, reposant sur des entretiens et des documents d'archives, montre le caractère graduel de la professionnalisation des permanents fédéraux, les attentes de rôle auxquelles ils sont confrontés et le caractère problématique de la reconversion professionnelle en fin de mandat. Alors que la professionnalisation syndicale est censée répondre aux problèmes de coordination et de légitimation de l'action syndicale, l'analyse révèle qu'elle suscite de nouveaux dilemmes organisationnels. Ce faisant, l'article contribue à la connaissance de la professionnalisation des pratiques militantes et, plus largement, à la sociologie de l'engagement."

"This article aims to provide a better understanding of trade unions' climate change strategies. Using a qualitative methodology based on an analysis of interviews and documents, the article sets out the three ideal-typical strategies of unions towards climate change mitigation policies: opposition, hedging and support. Our analysis finds that current trade union strategies on climate change are primarily rooted in sectoral interests mediated by union identities and conceptions of union democracy. At a theoretical level, the article contributes to broader debates on interest representation and collective bargaining behaviour by trade unions, in particular to the much-discussed tendency of organized groups to pursue private gains at the expense of common goods."

"New patterns of labour migration are reshaping labour markets and raising new challenges for labour market actors, especially trade unions. This article critically discusses unionization strategies targeting migrant workers and the political and organizational dilemmas involved, taking as an example the case of Luxembourg, a founding member of the European Union with a highly internationalized labour market. Relying on qualitative research and survey results, this article sets out the strategies adopted by trade unions to unionize migrant workers, before discussing the dilemmas and tensions related to the diversification of trade union policies and organizational structures in response to labour migration. It provides valuable insights into two broader issues: the socio-political and organizational dynamics involved in trade unions' inclusion of migrant workers and the potential role of trade unions in building transnational links and cohesion in border regions."

"Confronted with membership losses and declining bargaining power, trade unions have engaged in both political and organizational responses. A frequent type of organizational response has involved the creation of conglomerate unions, which bring together workers from various sectors and occupations. Pointing out a number of parallels between organizational developments in trade unions and political parties, this article analyses the emergence of conglomerate unions as a cause and consequence of changing conceptions of union democracy. Drawing on two in‐depth case studies conducted in France and Germany, the article examines how trade unions perceive their situation and how they define a reform rationale based on increasing their organizational ‘efficiency' and ‘effectiveness'. In accordance with this rationale, unions engage in mergers and create larger conglomerates, thereby centralizing decision‐making bodies and professionalizing their staff. The reform of trade unions' internal organization, in turn, affects unions' capacity for interest aggregation and representation."