United we stand? Marketization, institutional change and employers’ associations in crisis

Abstract

<jats:p> The continuous process of marketization of employment relations in a variety of European countries has raised questions about the power of collective social actors and their legitimizing role in policy-making. The article examines the responses of employers’ associations to institutional changes towards marketization in the context of the Greek economic crisis. The analysis exposes the hidden fractures between and within the peak-level employers’ associations and unveils a variation in their strategic responses towards institutional changes. To explain this variation, the article advances a power-based explanation and argues that the institutional changes altered the associations’ interest representation and power resources, which, in turn, redefined their role and identities in the employment relations system. </jats:p>

Employer associations: Climate change, power and politics

“…Voskeritsian et al (2020) have recently drawn attention to the importance of understanding power resources to explain the changing role of employer associations as they confront institutional change. While we welcome this approach, we take a different tack by suggesting that employer associations are themselves key drivers of the institutional context, through their power resources and political strategies.…”

“…Thus, an employer association with a large membership base will likely have less organisational coherence around climate change but its membership size or its association with a vital economic sector will provide it with greater capacity to gain political influence in climate policy. Voskeritsian et al (2020) have recently drawn attention to the importance of understanding power resources to explain the changing role of employer associations as they confront institutional change. While we welcome this approach, we take a different tack by suggesting that employer associations are themselves key drivers of the institutional context, through their power resources and political strategies.…”

“…Employer associations are often cast as reactive institutions and, more particularly, with the collapse of multi-employer bargaining (Sheldon et al, 2016), it is suggested that they are less important than they once were (Broad, 2001; cf. Brandl and Lehr, 2019; Voskeritsian et al, 2020). With union power much diminished, and ‘mission accomplished’, it is easy to argue that employer associations’ very raison d’être has been undermined.…”

“…With union power much diminished, and ‘mission accomplished’, it is easy to argue that employer associations’ very raison d’être has been undermined. Several accounts show, however, that employer associations have found new ways to make themselves useful to businesses, putting more emphasis on service provision and lobbying (Brandl and Lehr, 2019; Demougin et al, 2019; Voskeritsian et al, 2020). Voskeritsian et al (2020) emphasise not simply these ‘new’ strategies but the importance of understanding the power resources which employer associations bring to them.…”

“…Several accounts show, however, that employer associations have found new ways to make themselves useful to businesses, putting more emphasis on service provision and lobbying (Brandl and Lehr, 2019;Demougin et al, 2019;Voskeritsian et al, 2020). Voskeritsian et al (2020) emphasise not simply these 'new' strategies but the importance of understanding the power resources which employer associations bring to them. We add to this scholarship, seeing employer associations as agents of power (following Wright, 2000) which draw upon 'noisy' and 'quiet' political strategies (following Culpepper, 2011) to coordinate and advance the interest of capital, or sections of it, in many areas of public policymaking, most obviously in relation to labour law but also immigration, skills development, tax, trade and, our concern, climate change.…”