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Focusing on the cases of Italy and Poland, this paper examines the link between union organizational democracy and the economic and political inclusion of precarious workers. It argues that union membership of vulnerable groups is not a necessary condition for the representation of their voice and economic interests by labour organizations; rather, these two forms of the inclusion are shaped primarily by institutional contexts in which unions operate as well as by their identities and structural characteristics. In both examined countries the economic inclusion of precarious workers has been more advanced, while the degree of their political inclusion lagged behind and varied across major union confederations in line with two distinct models of unionism: a solidaristic and a diversity-oriented one. ispartof: Economic and Industrial Democracy vol:40 issue:1 pages:111-131 status: published

Organising as a trade union strategy has caught the imagination of the labour movement over the past 20 years or so. The vast possibilities of new forms of organising go hand in hand with concern about its highly constrained and sometimes hierarchical use. This article looks at key aspects of the debate, focusing on the question of how new forms of organising reach out to more vulnerable and precarious workers. Similar to other colleagues in the field, we conclude that there are political and organisational gaps in organising strategies and that new forms of organising can in some instances be bureaucratic and apolitical. Furthermore, it is important to extend our understanding of the role of trade unions in relation to the state, organised working class constituencies, and social rights, especially as, with regard to vulnerable workers and their organisations, questions of regulation are highly sensitive and challenging.

Immigration to Italy is a recent phenomenon if compared with other European countries. From very early on, the Italian trade unions showed a strong solidaristic and inclusive attitude towards migrant workers and began to act as advocates of migrants’ rights in the labour market and in the society more broadly. Trade union action developed at different levels (for example, national, local, within workplaces) and through different instruments (for example, bargaining, lobbying and service provision). Although inclusive strategies and action still characterize the Italian unions, some criticism have emerged over time. Following the Penninx and Roosblad’s framework, the authors discuss the relationship between Italian trade unions and migrants and highlight continuity and discontinuity with the past, following the transformation of the socio-economic and political context. The chapter relies on first-hand data collected by the authors in relation to different research.

This volume constitutes an extensive update of a previous comparative analysis – published by Rinus Penninx and Judith Roosblad in 2000 – that has become an important reference in the field. The book offers an overview of how trade unions manage issues of inclusion and solidarity in the current economic and political context, characterized by increasing challenges for labour organizations and rising hostility towards migrants. The qualitative analysis of trade union strategies towards immigration and migrant workers is based on a common analytical framework centred on the idea of ‘dilemmas’ that trade unions have to face when dealing with immigration and migrant workers. This approach facilitates comparative analysis and distinguishes patterns of union policies and actions across three groups of countries, identifying some explanations for observed similarities and differences. In addition, the book also includes theoretical chapters by expert scholars from a range of disciplinary fields including industrial relations, migration studies and political economy. Co-published with ILERA and Edward Elgar Publishing.

This paper revisits the comparative approach used by Penninx and Roosblad (Trade Unions, Immigration and Immigrants in Europe, 1960-1993. New York: Berghahn Books) to study trade unions’ attitudes and actions in relation to immigrant workers in seven Western European countries. It reassesses that approach and asks whether it remains valid, as economic, social, and political circumstances nowadays seem fundamentally different from those two to five decades ago. Each element of the original conceptual and explanatory frame is reassessed and its suitability weighed for an updated comparative study. The reassessment combines insights from migration studies with findings from the field of industrial relations. The latter highlight internal union variables in explaining trade unions’ attitudes and actions, while the former underline trade unions’ role as social and political actors in defending migrant rights.

The Political Economy of Managed Migration: Nonstate Actors, Europeanization, and the Politics of Designing Migration Policies, by Georg Menz, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009, + 320 pp., £47....

The chapter focuses on public and political discourse about ‘migrants’ in Europe, which frames the relationship between migrants and trade unions, and offers an overview of the main issues at stake. The authors develop an original analysis of European citizens’ attitudes towards migrants using ESS data. These data show that hostility towards immigrants is related primarily to individual attitudes, characteristics and behaviour, namely, to age, education, residential area and, especially, political affiliation as well as the level of commitment and engagement in associations and charities. Therefore politics, political cultures and political behaviour are key factors to understand racism and intolerance. The chapter focuses on the factors influencing migration policy-making, including the role of the mass media in shaping interpretations and policy instruments. The authors subsequently explore how migrations are framed in the public domain and policies. Finally, they examine how migrants are imagined as members of society, exploring the main narratives used to talk about their integration.