| 1. |
- Bengtsson, Erik, 1984
(författare)
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Swedish Trade Unions and European Union Migrant Workers
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Industrial Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0022-1856 .- 1472-9296. ; 55:2, s. 174-189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The enlargement of the European Union in 2004 increased the flows of workers across national borders within the unions, making action against social dumping an increased priority for unions. Which factors influence unions’ choices of strategies against wage dumping? Research has shown that in a cross-national perspective, unions with stronger institutional positions, defined as their influence on public policy and extent of collective bargaining coverage, have tended to be less interested in organising migrant workers than unions with weaker institutional positions. This article examines the choices made by three Swedish unions, all three with strong institutional positions, in responding to migrant workers: two have developed extensive organising responses, while the third relies on cooperation with employers and collective bargaining coverage to counteract social dumping. The article shows that intra-national variation can be explained by sectoral-based issues: that is, variation at both a country and sectoral level influences unions’ strategic choices towards migrant workers. The article further highlights the transference of the Anglo-Saxon union revitalisation model in some sectors of the Swedish trade union movement, which faces increasing pressure as a result of labour precariousness in the Swedish labour market.
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| 2. |
- Bergström, Ola, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Irish Butchers Rather than Irish Meat: Trade Union Responses to Agency Work in Sweden
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Industrial Relations. - 0022-1856 .- 1472-9296. ; 52:4, s. 477-490
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Trade unions are often considered as being against the use of agency workers in the workplaces that they represent. As opposed to standard permanent employment, temporary agency work is often regarded as a more precarious form of work that serves the purposes of employers seeking to reduce labour costs, enhance flexibility and avoid employment regulation. However, trade unions may also see benefits of using agency workers as experience of them increases. When examining how agency workers are established in an organization, the mechanisms available to resolve inconsistencies between the perceived benefits and disadvantages needs to be recognized. Rather than conceiving of trade unions as being opposed or in favour of the use of agency workers, the analysis of trade union responses needs to be grounded in a different perspective. This article is an attempt to formulate such a perspective on trade union responses to agency work as being based on understanding the process of establishment rather than polarized responses. The argument is supported by an empirical study of a food manufacturing company in Sweden that increasingly turned to agency workers as a source of labour.
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| 3. |
- Johansson, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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If you can’t beat them, join them? : The Swedish trade union movement and lean production
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Industrial Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0022-1856 .- 1472-9296. ; 55:3, s. 445-460
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article discusses the rise and changing nature of ‘lean production’ in Sweden and ‘lean’s’ interaction with union strategy and the demands of union members and employers. It begins with a discussion of what has characterised the Swedish work organisation debate over the past 50 years. With this as a base, we discuss significant trends in Swedish industry that provide both pitfalls and possibilities for workers and for Swedish trade union strategy. Our presumption is that such a strategy is not once and for all given, but something that must be brought up to date in relation to the societal context and altered production systems. Finally, we discuss IF Metall’s concept of ‘sustainable work’ that was established at their Congress in 2008. The title of our article, ‘If you can’t beat them, join them?’ is a provocative way to formulate the core of our analysis based on our overall understanding of lean production in Sweden. There are important implications for managers, workers and unions in countries both similar to and different from Sweden.
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