This book compiles empirical evidence on both the challenges raised by neo-liberal policies and the internet to trade unions, and the development of more flexible forms of worker organisation and collective representation. The relationship with digital devices seems inevitably to contribute to differentiating trends, simultaneously acting as an internal and external constraint on organisation. Gathering academics and experts from European and Brazilian universities, this book is recommended for researchers and students in the fields of sociology of work, labour studies and collective action, as well as practitioners and others interested in worker interest organisations and collective representation in the early 21st Century.
Author(s): Raquel Rego, Hermes Augusto Costa
Series: Dynamics of Virtual Work
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 199
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Tables
1: Introduction
The Genesis of This Book
Theoretical Frameworks
The Crisis in Trade Unionism and the Consequent Need to Rethink Unions’ Representativeness
The Complexification of Precarious Work in the Digital Era
The Aim of the Book
The Book Structure
References
2: Precarious Work and Possibilities of Union Resistance in Brazil
Introduction
The Tradition of Union Organization in Brazil and Its Reach Into Precarious Workers
The Impact of the Economic Crisis and Neoliberal Hegemony on the Brazilian Labour Market and Unions
Labour Relations and Union Action of Teachers and Delivery Couriers from the Political and Economic Crisis to the Pandemic
APEOESP
Sindimoto
Conclusions
References
3: How to Represent the Unrepresented? Renewing the Collective Action Repertoires of Autonomous Workers in Three Countries
Introduction
Theoretical Background
The Attitudes of Autonomous Workers Vis-à-Vis Trade Unions
The Attitudes of Trade Unions Vis-à-Vis Autonomous Workers
Functional Equivalent and Collective Capabilities
Research Design
A Multiple Case Study Design
Three Different Institutional Contexts
Findings
Analysis of the FEs and Collective Capabilities of Case Studies in Belgium
Analysis of the FEs and Collective Capabilities of Case Studies in France
Analysis of the FEs and Collective Capabilities of Case Studies in the Netherlands
Discussion
First Part of the Hypothesis
Second Part of the Hypothesis
Conclusion
References
4: Digitization and Collective Representation Strategies in Spain
Introduction
Conceptualization of the Deconstruction of the Labour Relationship
Hypothesis, Methodology and Context
Bottom-Up Organization Strategies
Bottom-Up Proto-Union Platforms
The Las Kellys Platform
Fragmentation and “Circumscribed Solidarity”
“Reactive” Worker Cooperatives and Mutual Societies
Mutualism: A Network of European Cooperatives
Trade Unions: Top-Down Initiatives of Organizations
Services That Unions Provide to Self-Employed Workers
Demands for Services Made to Organizations
Quasi-Unions: Emerging Forms of Organization
Top-Down Strategies to Represent Teleworkers
Articulation of Union Representation after the Deconstruction
The Role of Collective Bargaining in Trade Union Representation
Conclusions
Appendix: Interviews and Discussion Groups
References
5: The Representation of Precarious Workers: Two Case Studies from Portugal
Introduction
The “Making of the Precariat” in Portugal: The Legal Framework of Labour and the Emergence of Precarious Workers’ Organisations
Case Study 1: “Enough of These Green Receipts” (FERVE), the “Press Advisors” of Precarious Workers
Case Study 2: “Inflexible Precarious”
Final Remarks
References
6: Work Platforms, Informality and Forms of Resistance: The Case of On-Demand Workers in the City of São Paulo
Introduction
The Platformisation of Work and the New Informality
Youth, Occupational Trajectories and Precarious Work
What Changed During the Quarantine? The Scoring System and “#BrequeDosApps”
References
7: Gender Representation in the High-Tech Sector in Italy: The Required Alliance Between Trade Unions and Women’s Associations
Introduction
Challenges and Opportunities for Women in Highly Innovative Sectors
Challenging Representation: Trade Unions and Associations
Method
Representing Women in the Italian High-Tech Sector
Trade Unions
Women’s Associations
Concluding Remarks
References
8: The Representation of Platform Workers Through Facebook Groups in Bulgaria: A Partially-Filled Void
Introduction
Theoretical Background and Context
Method
The Research Findings
Collective Voice and Representation Challenges
The Case of the Facebook Group
The Discussion with the Group Administrators and Trade Unions
Conclusion
References
9: Conclusion
Strengthening the Collective Voice
Facing New Uncertainties
References
