Nature and limits of trade unions' mobilisations in contemporary Argentina

ATZENI, MAURIZIO; GHIGLIANI, PABLO

LabourAgain Publications

IISG

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2008 p. 1 - 13

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Capitalist restructuring have posed serious threats to trade unions worldwide since mid-1970s. De-industrialisation, labour market flexibility, managerial assault on labour process epitomise capital offensive; so does, the virulent anti-union policies embedded in new managerial practices and unfavourable labour laws. This context has been conducive to a process of atomization and segmentation of the labour force that has severely affected trade unions? capacity to recruit and mobilise workers? and represent their interests both at the workplace and in society. Recently, the word revitalisation has been used to indicate the recovery of strength of the labour movement in different national settings. Since 2003, in a context of economic growth and political stability, labour struggles have resumed with trade unions and formally employed workers as the main protagonists. The paper aims at understanding the nature and limits of these struggles by focusing on objective indices like the evolution of union density, labour conflicts and collective bargaining in the last decade as well as other political variables.