Trade unions in the European Union: identifying the main contemporary challenges
This article assesses changes in the situation of trade unions in the European Union (EU) between 2000 and 2020, building on a previous publication by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) on European trade unionism (Waddington & Hoffmann, 2000) and incorporating an analysis of the impac...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Published: |
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://econtents.sbu.unicamp.br/inpec/index.php/rbest/article/view/21016 |
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| Summary: | This article assesses changes in the situation of trade unions in the European Union (EU) between 2000 and 2020, building on a previous publication by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) on European trade unionism (Waddington & Hoffmann, 2000) and incorporating an analysis of the impact of the adoption of the euro and successive EU enlargements. The analysis argues that the viability of trade unionism in some national variants of the European social model is under threat. The text consists of five sections, plus an introduction and concluding remarks. Section 1 provides a historical perspective: it revisits the labor movement of the “golden age” and describes the challenge posed by the neoliberal agenda in the last quarter of the 20th century. The subsequent sections outline the changes that have taken place since the year 2000 in line with the neoliberal project: in the labor market (section 2); in economic outcomes (section 3); in collective bargaining (section 4); and in unionization and mobilization (section 5). Finally, the paper highlights the characteristics that distinguish the recent trajectories of trade unionism in EU member states. |
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| ISSN: | 2674-9564 |
