Political exchange, crisis of representation and trade union strategies in a time of austerity

Abstract

This article analyses the strategy of major Spanish trade unions in the context of economic crisis through the theoretical framework of political exchange. It focuses on a frequently ignored dimension of political exchange, namely the relationship between union leaders and the rank-and-file, which, under certain circumstances, can lead to a crisis of representation. Based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews, this article explores the strategic behaviour of Spanish trade unions and their relationship with the so-called 15M movement. It concludes that the ambiguous strategy of the major unions can be explained, not only as a result of their effort to preserve their institutional power and their political influence in the public sphere, but also as a response to the emergence of the 15M movement, which has made these organizations confront the threat of a crisis of representation.

Guest editorial: Debates on social movements and trade unionism in Europe. New forms of interaction and transformative identities in work and society

“…In some countries, such as Spain, the weakening of trade unionism at certain moments in the face of this systemic shift to neoliberalism has led to the adoption of new strategies that reflect a weaker bargaining position and a declining social relevance (de Guzmán et al ., 2016). Other factors have also contributed to the decline in trade union capacity, membership, and activity.…”

The influence of the political attitudes of workers and the effect of the Great Recession on the decision to join a trade union in Southern Europe

“…The two large left-wing confederations accounted for 76% of union representatives in companies in 2007 (Sánchez-Mosquera, 2018: 29), while by 2019 their joint representation had fallen to 67.4%. 2 Political strategies of strengthening left-wing discourse and alliance with social movements and the ‘mosaic of left-wing groups’, including a return to the socio-political origins of the organisations (Pérez de Guzmán et al, 2016), could lead to an increase in political power resources. However, they have not proved to be effective in driving strong growth in membership or in employee representation in the tough context of the Great Recession, although they have been able to limit its effects compared with what has occurred in Portugal and Italy.…”

La configuración del campo de estudio de los movimientos sociales en España (1980-2020)

“…El 15M y otras movilizaciones aledañas también inspiran numerosas publicaciones internacionales desde perspectivas cualitativas. En el caso del 15M, algunas han explorado sus orígenes e impactos (Flesher, 2020), así como otras características de las movilizaciones (De Guzmán, et al, 2016;Romanos, 2016;Díez, 2017). Más allá del 15M, organizaciones sociales también han suscitado atención en revistas internacionales, teniendo particular relevancia la Plataforma de Afectadas por la Hipoteca (PAH) (Romanos, 2013;García-Lamarca, 2017;Martínez, 2019;Santos, 2020).…”