This paper revisits the comparative approach used by Penninx and Roosblad (Trade Unions, Immigration and Immigrants in Europe, 1960-1993. New York: Berghahn Books) to study trade unions' attitudes and actions in relation to immigrant workers in seven Western European countries. It reassesses that approach and asks whether it remains valid, as economic, social, and political circumstances nowadays seem fundamentally different from those two to five decades ago. Each element of the original conceptual and explanatory frame is reassessed and its suitability weighed for an updated comparative study. The reassessment combines insights from migration studies with findings from the field of industrial relations. The latter highlight internal union variables in explaining trade unions' attitudes and actions, while the former underline trade unions' role as social and political actors in defending migrant rights.
Migration, whether regular or irregular, is on the increase, despite the general spread of restrictive immigration policies at both national and EU level and the intensification of national border controls. However, its features and the ways in which actors deal with it differ by country, depending on national circumstances. In this article we examine the strategies and actions of Dutch and Italian trade unions towards both regular and irregular migration. The main aim is to underline the influence of both external (context embedded) and internal (union embedded) factors on trade unions' attitudes and responses.❖❖❖
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