Liberalisation and privatisation of public services and strategic options for European trade unions

Thorsten Schulten, Torsten Brandt and Christoph Hermann
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Thorsten Schulten: Researcher at the Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut (WSI) at the Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf
Torsten Brandt: Researcher at the Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut (WSI) at the Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf
Christoph Hermann: Researcher at the Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt (FORBA) in Vienna

Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 2008, vol. 14, issue 2, 295-311

Abstract: This article argues that liberalisation and privatisation of public services in Europe have had a significant impact on employment and working conditions. Our basic hypothesis is that companies affected by growing competitive pressures increase efforts to reduce labour costs. The consequences are, on the one hand, the reduction of public sector employment and, on the other, a transformation of the traditional public sector labour relations regime (LRR). While employees were previously treated as a relatively homogenous workforce, liberalisation and privatisation have fuelled divisions, fragmentation and individualisation. In some sectors and countries this has led not only to a substantial deterioration of employment and working conditions but also to the emergence of a two-tier workforce. From this perspective liberalisation and privatisation represent a considerable threat to workers and therefore the trade unions, which have at their disposal a number of strategies to respond to the new challenges, including fighting privatisation, demanding strong sector-wide regulations and campaigning to strengthen the public sector.

Keywords: privatisation; public services; trade unions; collective bargaining; fragmentation; two-tier workforce (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:treure:v:14:y:2008:i:2:p:295-311

DOI: 10.1177/102425890801400209

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