Theme 5: Transnational trade union cooperation

Europeanisation of industrial relations takes various forms. Nevertheless, in the context of the common labour market, there is a growing need for transnational labour solidarity, which often does not meet with adequate responses on the part of trade unions and other collective actors. The recent financial crisis has been often presented as a challenge for the established and emergent form of transnational solidarities. Yet, as suggested by a number of studies, while the “re-nationalisation” of union approaches indeed took place, there are also a counter-tendencies in which institutional foundations of labour solidarity managed to survive growing business competition in the post-crisis period.   Topics of interest include: European Works Councils (ECW), Transnational/Global Company Agreements, European trade union industry federations, EU-level tripartite sectoral committees, solidarity actions and campaigns, cross-border cooperation of labour, posting of workers.