Solidarity Networks of Spanish Migrants in the UK and Germany: The Emergence of Interstitial Trade Unionism

Abstract

This article aims to study the collective strategies and social networks of young Spanish emigrants in the European Union, paying special attention to their perceptions of and practices regarding working conditions, as well as their relationships with the trade unions and social movements. The article focuses on two case studies of migrant self-organisation networks: the Union Action Group of Berlin, Germany and the Solidarity Federation in Brighton, UK. On the basis of semi-structured interviews and document analysis, the article concludes that the existing gap between trade unions and migrant labour can, under certain circumstances, favour the emergence of solidarity networks which in part play the role of trade unions. We call this type of organisation interstitial trade unionism.

Integration Needs and Support Offered: The Effects of Support on Young Spaniards in Germany

“…The collective support provided to individual migrants is considered in only a few studies. One exception is the study by Roca and Martín‐Díaz (), which exhibits that solidarity networks among Spanish migrants in Berlin can take over the role of labour unions by opposing unfavourable labour conditions.…”

“…This is also considered in the academic literature, where certain types of support for intra‐EU migrants are critically addressed. For the case of Germany, Roca and Martín‐Díaz () demonstrated that the lack of support by labour unions, for instance, contributed to the situation in which Spanish migrants’ labour rights were not recognised by employers. Other studies stressed the role of formal institutions, such as employment agencies, as brokers (Heimann and Wieczorek, ), as well as the importance of social contacts in Germany to facilitate support (Stedtfeld et al, ).…”

La Nouvelle Vague de la emigración española en Francia: proyectos migratorios y tipos de migrantes

“…Pero también en puestos de trabajo poco cualificados en el sector servicios, la hostelería, los cuidados (por ejemplo: au pair), la construcción, etc. (Roca y Martín Díaz, 2017;Nijhoff y Gordano, 2017;Lafleur y Mescoli, 2018;Pratsinakis, King, Himmelstine y Mazzilli, 2019). En línea con lo anterior, cabe evidenciar que los estudios realizados se han centrado, sobre todo, en el perfil de españoles emigrados con alto nivel cultural, invisibilizando otros tipos migratorios, como los reemigrantes, descendientes o incluso los propios emigrantes de origen español que se insertan en el mercado laboral secundario (Bermudez, 2020;Solignac, 2018;Mas Giralt, 2017;Ramos, 2017).…”

“…No obstante, una vez que asoma esa posibilidad si se reconoce que puede significar una oportunidad para crecer profesionalmente. A estos perfiles se les denomina a menudo "buscadores de carrera": tienen la ambición de crecer profesionalmente y la movilidad es una de las estrategias para lograrlo (Roca y Martín-Díaz, 2017). Esto fue lo que le ocurrió a Pablo, ingeniero en una empresa transnacional con sede en Málaga: "Mi perfil no es tan típico como el que se suele hablar, te encuentras sin trabajo, en una situación un poco precaria, buscas fuera por culpa de la crisis y demás… Fue más que surgió una oportunidad, por la crisis, por el tipo de contrato y la manera en que se gestiona la tecnología en España, este tipo de oportunidad no la habría tenido nunca en España.…”

Socio‐Spatial Strategies of Worker Centres: An Ethnography of Alt‐Labour in NYC

“…The efforts of labour unions to recruit and organise those “outsiders”—mainly migrants, women, young, and precarious workers—has been a serious challenge for trade unions (Murray 2017). In some cases, the lack of effectiveness or willingness of unions to deal with these sectors of workers has favoured the rise of non‐traditional forms of labour activism that have tended to be studied under the category of community unionism (Cordero‐Guzman 2015; Holgate 2018; Milkman 2013; Roca and Martin‐Díaz 2017). As Wills and Simms (2004) have suggested, the limits of the two main renewal strategies of the labour movement, partnership with employers and organising, have led unions to adopt the strategy of “reciprocal community unionism”, which consists of working in and with communities pursuing mutual benefits.…”