Political exchange, crisis of representation and trade union strategies in a time of austerity

Sofía Pérez de Guzmán, Beltrán Roca and Iban Diaz-Parra
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Sofía Pérez de Guzmán: Universidad de Cádiz
Beltrán Roca: Universidad de Cádiz
Iban Diaz-Parra: Universidad de Buenos Aires

Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, 2016, vol. 22, issue 4, 461-474

Abstract: This article analyses the strategy of major Spanish trade unions in the context of economic crisis through the theoretical framework of political exchange. It focuses on a frequently ignored dimension of political exchange, namely the relationship between union leaders and the rank-and-file, which, under certain circumstances, can lead to a crisis of representation. Based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews, this article explores the strategic behaviour of Spanish trade unions and their relationship with the so-called 15M movement. It concludes that the ambiguous strategy of the major unions can be explained, not only as a result of their effort to preserve their institutional power and their political influence in the public sphere, but also as a response to the emergence of the 15M movement, which has made these organizations confront the threat of a crisis of representation.

Keywords: Political exchange; trade unions; social movements; representation; 15M (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:treure:v:22:y:2016:i:4:p:461-474

DOI: 10.1177/1024258916667013

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