Trade Unions go global!

Alejandro Donado and Klaus Wälde

Working Papers from Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow

Abstract: Worker movements played a crucial role in making workplaces safer. Workplace safety is costly for firms but increases labour supply. A laissez-faire approach leav- ing safety of workplaces unknown is suboptimal. Safety standards set by better- informed trade unions are output and welfare increasing. Trade between a country with trade unions (the North) and a union-free country (the South) can imply a reduction in work standards in the North. When trade unions are established in the South, the North, including northern unions, tend to lose. Quantitatively, these effects are small and overcompensated by gains in the South.

Keywords: occupational health and safety; trade unions; international trade; welfare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F16 F21 J51 J81 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-07, Revised 2008-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Trade unions go global! (2009)
Working Paper: Trade Unions Go Global! (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gla:glaewp:2008_22

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