The transnationalization of trade union action within multinational corporations: A comparative perspective

Mélanie Dufour-Poirier and Marc-Antonin Hennebert
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Mélanie Dufour-Poirier: University of Montreal, Canada
Marc-Antonin Hennebert: HEC Montreal, Canada

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2015, vol. 36, issue 1, 73-98

Abstract: This article is based on two case studies and an empirical body of data that includes more than 100 interviews with union officials in various countries; it examines how collective union action is constructed within cross-border union alliances. Drawing on three lines of analysis, each grounded in a theory of collective action, it shows that, although the parties involved have invested considerable resources, the long-term presence of key players capable of carrying out framing duties can be a decisive factor in the development of collective action. The article also underlines how important it is for the unions involved to define a mobilizing joint project that can help develop a common sense of belonging. The findings in the two cases are uneven, and the article therefore also highlights one of the main weaknesses of cross-border alliances, namely the fact that they are dependent on stable organizational structures in the multinational corporations.

Keywords: Industrial relations; international trade unionism; works councils (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:36:y:2015:i:1:p:73-98

DOI: 10.1177/0143831X13495743

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