Social movement unionism in Spain?

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

“…However, the actual interface and the issues between the social and economic dimensions of worker representation remain complex, and we are at a stage where we need to see that perhaps there is no clear fit between the community, social, and movement dimensions of workers as these can be porous and open to a range of different structures and hybrids (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2019; Martínez Lucio, forthcoming). The set of papers that constitute this special issue are a sample of the diverse patterns and issues that can develop across these spaces, and which suggest that we need to start reflecting on the possibilities and ironies of new social movement dynamics.…”

Social movement unionism in Spain's feminized precarious service sector: Criticism, cooperation and competition

“…Frequently framed in contrast to the business unionism that dominated the second half of the twentieth century, ‘social movement unionism’ (SMU) is understood as a radical form of unionism that seeks to broaden the role of unions in the socio‐political arena (Köhler & Calleja Jiménez, 2018; Tapia & Alberti, 2018). In this vein, rather than a toolkit of tactics, SMU should be considered as part of a wider transformative vision of unions that takes into account the social composition of the ‘new’ working classes, the intersectional demands and organizational cultures of social movements, and the specific economic, socio‐political and institutional contexts (Tapia and Alberti, 2018).…”

“…Given the crisis of traditional unionism and the consolidation of new forms of collective action and protest during the Great Recession, mainly developed by social movements and radical grassroots unions, SMU has been suggested as a suitable (although risky) strategy for union renewal in Spain (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2015, 2018). This strategy, however, faces significant implementation barriers: on the one hand, deep organizational (internal democratization) and cultural (leadership and issue framing) transformations are needed in unions, and on the other hand, more coordination and stability are expected on the part of social movements (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2015, 2018). Regarding networking and cooperation between unions and social movements, there are ‘several promising ad hoc and mutual support coalitions but still lacking deep coalition building’ (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2018, p. 143).…”

“…This strategy, however, faces significant implementation barriers: on the one hand, deep organizational (internal democratization) and cultural (leadership and issue framing) transformations are needed in unions, and on the other hand, more coordination and stability are expected on the part of social movements (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2015, 2018). Regarding networking and cooperation between unions and social movements, there are ‘several promising ad hoc and mutual support coalitions but still lacking deep coalition building’ (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2018, p. 143).…”

“…In this article, we make three contributions to the literature. First, focusing on the feminized precarious service sector, we provide evidence on the current opportunities for SMU in Spain (Köhler and Calleja Jiménez, 2015, 2018), and more broadly, for mutual understanding between new and old forms of collective action (Atzeni, 2021). To do so, we explore the relationship between unionism and Las Kellys, a labour‐based movement made up of and led by room attendants, a precarious, highly feminized and significantly migrant occupational group that has self‐organized outside unions in recent years.…”