What next for unions in Central and Eastern Europe? Invisibility, departure and the transformation of industrial relations

Umut Korkut, Alex de Ruyter*, Manos Maganaris, David Bailey

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article examines union revitalization in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on two countries: Hungary and Latvia. Trade unions have not only had to cope with a declining membership base, but have also had to respond to austerity programmes and government cuts in public sector employment. We argue that the inability of unions to provide a strong voice for alternative policies to the current neoliberal orthodoxy has been driven by a declining membership base, but also by weakened social dialogue mechanisms, limited industrial representation and an ageing membership profile, exacerbated by net outward migration in recent years. However, we find that unions in Latvia and Hungary have responded differently to these issues.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-80
Number of pages16
JournalEuropean Journal of Industrial Relations
Volume23
Issue number1
Early online date28 Nov 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2017

Keywords

  • Hungary
  • industrial relations
  • labour market
  • Latvia
  • migration
  • trade
  • unions

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