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Forces of reproduction and change in collective bargaining: A social field perspective

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: The paper addresses the endurance of sector collective bargaining despite many announcements of its demise. Bourdieusian social theory is used to interpret collective bargaining as a dominated social field that is distinct and relatively autonomous from other economic, political and transnational fields. Empirically, we trace the trajectories of German and Italian metal sector’s collective bargaining fields. In Germany, field agents contributed to a continuing erosion of collective bargaining, regional differentiation of membership strategies, and a reorientation of dominated employers’ associations towards their members. In Italy, some field agents resisted supranational and national liberalization demands and contributed to the adaptation and innovation of bargaining practices and hence, to the preliminary re-stabilization and re-balancing of collective bargaining between industry and company level.

Source: European Journal of Industrial Relations

DOI: 10.1177/0959680121998478

Authors: Susanne Pernicka, Vera Glassner, Nele Dittmar, Klaus Neundlinger

Institutions: Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Chamber of Labour, Technische Universität Berlin

Language: English

Topic: Labor Movements and Unions

Subfield: Industrial relations

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000