When does solidarity end? Transnational labour cooperation during and after the crisis – the GM/Opel case revisited

Abstract

The General Motors (GM) case stands out for its transnational employee cooperation. During the crisis the 'national turn' of union politics seems to have eroded solidarity and mutual trust relations. In this article the authors suggest disentangling the behaviour of labour representatives and their attitudes, identities and feelings to develop a more sophisticated perspective on labour transnationalism. Concepts of sociological neo-institutionalism and empirical evidence from two automobile companies (GM/Opel and Volkswagen) in Germany, the UK and Poland are used to investigate the conditions under which transnational solidarity occurs and prevails. The authors conclude that solidarity in both companies has not come to an end and contributes to repertoires of contention in future labour conflicts.

Cultural Obstacles in Transnational Trade Union Cooperation in Europe

“…However, to understand the specific difficulties that cultural differences create for European trade union cooperation, it is also possible to move closer to the actors, through targeted surveys, observations, or as in this case interviews with the actors (e.g., Gajewska 2009;Pernicka et al 2017;Klemm et al 2011;Larsson 2012Larsson , 2017Whittall et al 2007). These are more subjectivist and interpretative approaches that aim to understand the perspectives and experiences of the actors themselves.…”

“…Even though the constitutive elements of culture are important for trade union solidarity and cooperation across Europe (Pernicka et al 2017), there are also cultural difficulties in transnational trade union cooperation (Klemm & Weyand 2009;Whittall et al 2007). Language borders may hamper direct trade union cooperation, but language also shapes the understanding of industrial relations.…”

Tensions between Value Capture and Value Slippage: The Case of Brand Communities

“…Based on the extent and detail of information contained in each community co‐creation case study and in the search to represent a diversity of industries, we chose the following five so‐called cold cases to revisit (Pernicka, Glassner, Dittmar, Mrozowicki, & Maciejewska, ) to provide a categorization of value capture/slippage assemblages: Afri‐Cola Premium (food), Harry Potter (culture), Jeep (car), Tough Mudder (sport) and Warhammer (game). For each case (Table ), we completed the existing information in the articles and chapters selected concerning our specific research context with information available in other academic and professional publications.…”

Revision of the EU Posting of Workers Directive, Social Dumping and Trade Unions’ Position

“…Transnational trade union cooperation is generally more likely to develop in multinational companies (MNCs) (e.g., Arrowsmith and Marginson 2006;Bieler 2005), but this does not exclude the rise of inter-plant rivalries in MNCs making such cooperation difficult. We find illustrations of trade union cooperation and rivalry in the competition between European GM/Opel automotive plants some years ago (Andersen 2006;Banyuls et al 2008;Bernaciak 2010Bernaciak , 2011Bernaciak , 2013Gajewska 2008;Pernicka et al 2015). The company was trying to handle its long-lasting problems with profitability in different ways, among other things, by arranging bidding matches between plants.…”